A brush fire in the San Bernardino National Forest east of Anza was 40% contained Friday at 1,690 acres, with all evacuation orders reduced to warnings and the number of personnel required on the fire lines gradually falling.
“As you return home, you may see smoke or fire due to unburned pockets of fuel within the fire’s perimeter,” the Riverside County Fire Department said in a statement intended for those previously in the evacuation zones. “The fire continues to hold within the established containment lines.”
The brusher’s size had not changed since Wednesday afternoon, and there were no reports of structures damaged.
All mandatory orders were converted to warnings mid-morning Friday, enabling residents around Alpine Village and west of Pinyon Pines to return to their properties at their convenience. The closure of Highway 74 from Palm Desert to Anza was also lifted Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At the fire’s peak, more than 1,000 firefighters were engaged. However, as of Friday morning, crews were being released at a piecemeal pace, according to reports from the scene.
Cal Fire air tankers were no longer involved in operations. However, water-dropping helicopters were periodically returning to make targeted drops at the direction of ground crews.
The fire was reported at 12:25 p.m. Monday on the north side of Highway 74 at Santa Rosa Truck Trail.
County officials said multiple engine and hand crews from Cal Fire, U.S. Forest Service, Palm Springs Fire Department and other agencies were sent to the location Tuesday and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate to the north through heavy vegetation.
CHP officers shut down both sides of Highway 74 between the junction at Highway 371 in Anza to the west and the area around the Big Horn Golf Club, just south of Palm Desert, spanning almost 25 miles.
Evacuation orders were issued on both sides of the highway.
A care and reception center remained available at the Anza Community Center, 56630 Highway 371, and impacted residents continued to have the option of leaving their pets, free of charge, under the supervision of staff at either the Coachella Valley Animal Campus at 72-050 Pet Land Place in Thousand Palms, or the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, 581 S. Grand Ave.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.