Smoke from a fire in Cherry Valley, near Banning, has blanketed the Morongo Basin at times since Friday evening. The massive Apple fire, 14 miles west of the Morongo Basin, has burned more than 26,500 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest, and as of Monday morning, was only 5 percent contained.
The fire is burning in rugged terrain and threatening hundreds of homes in the Banning area. One house and two outbuildings have been destroyed in the blaze. Thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate.
For Morongo Valley, the Fire Department there is closely monitoring the fire’s eastward progress, which slowed down overnight.
San Bernardino County Fire Battalion Chief Scott Tuttle from Yucca Valley is leading a strike team of five fire engines at the Apple fire. He said his team is defending homes in the Highland Springs area of Beaumont. And on Sunday, Brush Engine 41 and its crew from Yucca Valley were sent to the Apple Fire.
Courtesy Mappingsupport.com/Chris Barker photo
More than 2200 firefighters are on the scene, including 32 hand crews, 275 fire engines, 48 water tenders, 24 dozers, nine helicopters, and several other aircraft.
