Fire Crews Reach 91 Percent Containment on Mountain Fire, Visitors Welcomed Back to Area

The containment of the Mountain Fire was to have been completed Wednesday, but full containment will not occur until Friday, the U.S Forest Service announced.

The blaze was 91 percent contained Wednesday morning, having scorched 27,531 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest since breaking out near Idyllwild nine days ago. A U.S. Forest Service statement said the cost of fighting the fire had risen to $24.3 million.

Though Wednesday's acreage size has slightly grown from Tuesday's reported 27,332 acres, fire officials say the blaze hasn't actually spread.

"There has been no growth in the size of the fire," John Miller with the Forest Service said.  "The change in reported acreage is due to more accurate mapping."

The fire's acreage has changed little since Sunday, thanks to rain from thunderstorms over the past few days. The area is expected to dry out Wednesday and Thursday.  

Miller says don't be surprised if you see some more smoke coming from the fire.

"As the burn area dries out and warms up, smoke may become visible from the interior of the fire," according to a Forest Service statement.

The number of fire personnel assigned to the blaze continues to be reduced, with 767 remaining as of Wednesday morning. There are nine engines, 17 hand crews and three bulldozers still assigned to the fire. Six helicopters remain available if needed, officials said.

The blaze has claimed 23 structures, including seven homes, but no major injuries have been reported.

The fire is believed to have started around 1:45 p.m. on July 15 near the junction of Highways 243 and 74. The 23 structures swallowed by the blaze were all destroyed on the first day of the fire.

The cause remains under investigation. Jeanne Pincha-Tully, a U.S. Forest Service fire chief, said last week that the fire was determined to be "human-caused."

Evacuations that affected as many as 6,000 people were lifted on Sunday, although the Riverside County Fire Department on Monday issued an evacuation warning for residents to voluntarily leave the area of Apple Canyon Road north of Bonita Vista Road because of possible flash flooding and debris flows in the fire-denuded area.

What's more, officials say out-of-towners are welcome back into the area.

"Visitors are welcomed back to these communities," Miller said.  "The public safety officials want to thank mountain community residents for your cooperation in the evacuations during the firefight to keep the fire from spreading into Idyllwild, Pine Cove and the Garner Valley."

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which closed Thursday due to fire- generated smoke, reopened Tuesday. The nearby Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area, several campgrounds, Humber Park and Pacific Crest Trail and its connecting trails remain closed.

For previous Patch coverage of the Mountain Fire click the following links:

• As Containment Nears in Mountain Fire, Cost Estimated at $22.8 Million, Resources Scaled Back
• RAIN ON MOUNTAIN FIRE, EVACS LIFTED: Full Containment Expected Friday
  
• MOUNTAIN FIRE UPDATE: Weather Aids Fire Crews, Blaze Estimated 49 Percent Contained, Cost $18.4M
• MOUNTAIN FIRE UPDATE: Blaze Burns 42 Square Miles, 3,400+ Personnel, Evacuation Warning for Pine Cove
• 'UNUSUAL FIRE BEHAVIOR': Mountain Fire Incident Commander Discusses Fire Weather, Evac Orders
• Palm Desert's Assemblyman Asks Governor to Declare State of Emergency
• Mountain Fire Local Impact Map by ESRI of Redlands
• MOUNTAIN FIRE: Some Residents Stay, but Most of Idyllwild is 'Ghost Town'
• VIDEO: Idyllwild Fire Chief Discusses Evacuations, Mountain Fire Threat
• MOUNTAIN FIRE UPDATE: Blaze Now 19,400 Acres, 4,100 Homes Threatened, Evac Orders for Idyllwild, Fern Valley
• Beaumont High School Transformed Into Emergency Shelter for Fire Evacuees
• MOUNTAIN FIRE PHOTOS: Property Damage, Watershed Damage, Firefighters, Pilots
• MOUNTAIN FIRE: Now 9,000 Acres Burned, 2,200+ Personnel, 21 Structures Destroyed
• MOUNTAIN FIRE UPDATE: Blaze Now Est. 2,400 Acres, Structure Damage Reported, Mandatory Evacs at Bonita Vista, Fleming Ranch, Animal Sanctuary

– City News Service contributed to this report.