An Idyllwild engine crew was alone on Fern Valley Road before sunrise Thursday, in a fog of pungent smoke from the Mountain Fire with Tahquitz Rock looming in the darkness above.
To the east near Lake Hemet, hundreds more firefighters and crew supervisors attended a 6 a.m. briefing where they heard incident commanders say the Mountain Fire had grown to an estimated 22,800 acres. Idyllwild crews were among 2,985 firefighters assigned to the Mountain Fire as of Thursday morning.
Idyllwild Fire Protection District Chief Patrick Reitz spoke with Banning-Beaumont Patch after the briefing, Thursday July 18.
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