Firefighters succeeded Monday in cutting additional containment lines around the perimeter of a wildfire burning northwest of Palm Springs which is expected to be fully contained by the end of next week.
The Snow Fire — which was 52% contained as of 5 p.m. Monday — has blackened 6,013 acres since being sparked by a vehicle fire Thursday afternoon in the 15000 block of Snow Creek Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
No injuries or structure damage have been reported.
Firefighters continue to work amid high temperatures and in steep, rugged terrain, although slight cooling is expected through Tuesday, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which said full containment is expected Oct. 1.
Because of the smoke from the Snow, Bobcat and El Dorado fires, the South Coast Air Quality Management District extended its air quality advisory through Tuesday afternoon.
Over the weekend, the flames were threatening about 450 homes in communities near Snow Creek and Windy Point, but firefighters mitigated the threat to those areas and canceled all evacuation edicts.
A temporary evacuation point established by the American Red Cross at the James A. Venable Community Center in Cabazon was closed following the rescinding of evacuation directives.
After a work truck caught fire north of Snow Creek about 2:40 p.m. Thursday, the fire spread to nearby vegetation and quickly grew to 1,200 acres by that evening.
The flames spread into the San Bernardino National Forest and the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, prompting a multi-agency response.
The fire had grown to 6,013 acres by Saturday evening, but additional acreage has not been reported since that time.
A total of 232 firefighters remain assigned to the firefight from several agencies on Monday, including the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. They were being assisted by one water-dropping helicopter.