Nearly 200 firefighters from San Bernardino and Riverside counties responded Sunday to a blaze that burned hundreds of acres and threatened buildings in Fontana, the latest in a series of fires to rage across Southern California.
The fire covered 400 acres and was at 80% containment shortly after 9 p.m., according to Eric Sherwin, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
Meanwhile, further north in Fresno County, the Basin Fire was one of the state's two largest blazes, continuing to grow just as brutal temperatures were expected in parts of inland California this week.
The Fontana Fire, known as the Sierra Fire, was first reported around 2:30 p.m. near Sierra and Jurupa Avenues south of Highway 10. The fire was moving up the slope of a hill and was driven by the breeze once he reached the top, Sherwin said.
Although no damage was reported Sunday, authorities had warned that structures could be threatened but did not call for evacuations. By late Sunday, the threat to the structure had been “mitigated” and firefighters remained on scene to reinforce containment lines, according to Sherwin.
Two firefighters were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, he said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Sherwin urged caution amid record temperatures in some parts of the state where dry grass could easily catch fire and spread. A spark from a lawnmower could be enough to start a wildfire, he said.
“Southern California is ready to burn. These fires are everywhere,” he said. “All we can do to prevent a fire from starting is one less fire that has the potential to threaten homeowners.”
A wildfire broke out in Riverside County's Moreno Valley on Saturday, destroying more than 200 acres. By Sunday, there were a dozen fires burning across the state, according to Cal Fire.
The largest fires were in Fresno County, where the Basin Fire that started Wednesday had burned nearly 12,000 acres as of Sunday night and had not been contained, according to Cal Fire.
Also in the Central Valley, the Fresno June Lightning Complex Fire, which started Monday, had burned more than 10,600 acres, according to Cal Fire's latest update. Authorities had contained 61% of that fire as of Sunday night.
