350-Acre Brush Fire In San Bernardino County Damages Home
MENTONE (CBSLA.com) — Firefighters Friday made progress on a 350-acre brush fire in San Bernardino County amid near triple-digit temperatures.
The blaze, dubbed the Mills Fire, was reported around 2:15 p.m. along the 4200 block of Mill Creek Road near Highway 38 in Mentone, west of Yucaipa, prompting officials to evacuate the Olive Trail area.
Residents north of Carter and west of Bryant streets were evacuated, but those orders have since been lifted.
The fire came dangerously close to structures and damaged one home. It was reportedly at 5 percent containment.
KCAL9's Tom Wait reported that neighbors had little time to escape, as the flames devoured the dry brush.
"We started watching it over the hill over there, and then within five minutes, it was all the way at the house. It was intense," said Terick Moore.
Resident Janet Clark said, "I was really scared when I saw all the black stuff was only inches away from the fence."
There were no reports of injuries.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The fast-moving blaze could be a sign of things to come, especially with record-breaking heat on the way.
"It does pose for a very high level of concern that we could have fires with this rapid rate of fire-spread this early in the season," said San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Christopher Prater.
