The nearby Hathaway Fire has grown to 1,700 acres. Winds whipped furiously through the Banning Pass late Monday, making firefighters’ jobs much tougher. The wildfire was 25 percent contained by 6:30 p.m. last night. It’ll likely take a few weeks until firefighters fully control the fire. The blaze, first reported shy of noon Sunday, burned north of Banning and west of the Coachella Valley. About 690 firefighters battled the blaze, which spawned a dramatic red glow overnight and billowing smoke that paralleled the Little San Bernardino Mountains throughout the day Monday. Smoke from the fire is coming in to the Morongo Basin at times; officials have issued a smoke advisory, warning people in northern portions of the Banning Pass and areas around Big Bear Lake that air quality could become unhealthy.
