Friday, October 26, 2007 -  7:31 PM

Witch Fire – 197,990 acres – 45% contained    Witch Fire Map 10/26/07
Harris Fire – 85,000 acres – 35% contained    Harris Fire Map 10/26/07
Poomacha Fire – 39,000 acres – 35% contained    Poomacha Fire Map 10/26/07
Rice Fire – 9,000 acres – 60% contained     Rice Fire Map 10/26/07
Horno/Ammo Fire – 19,353 acres – 80% contained     Horno/Ammo Fire Map 10/26/07
Santiago Fire – 27,600 acres – 35% contained    Santiago Fire Map 10/26/07
Ranch Fire – 58,401 acres – 94% contained
Slide Fire – 13,378 acres – 20% contained    Slide Fire Map 10/26/07
Grass Valley Fire - 1,100 acres – 70% contained   Grass Valley Fire Map 10/26/07

Friday, October 26, 2007 -  6:14 PM   - INLAND EMPIRE

Green Valley Lake Residents - There is new information on the Burn Report.  Near the Bottom of the page.

Friday, October 26, 2007 -  6:08 PM   - INLAND EMPIRE

Friday, October 26, 2007 -  4:49 PM

Here is the latest update as well as fire maps of the fires.

Witch Fire – 197,990 acres – 45% contained    Witch Fire Map 10/26/07
Harris Fire – 84,300 acres – 20% contained    Harris Fire Map 10/26/07
Poomacha Fire – 39,000 acres – 35% contained    Poomacha Fire Map 10/26/07
Rice Fire – 9,000 acres – 40% contained     Rice Fire Map 10/26/07
Horno/Ammo Fire – 19,353 acres – 80% contained     Horno/Ammo Fire Map 10/26/07
Santiago Fire – 27,000 acres – 30% contained    Santiago Fire Map 10/26/07
Ranch Fire – 58,396 acres – 87% contained
Slide Fire – 13,378 acres – 15% contained    Slide Fire Map 10/26/07
Grass Valley Fire - 1,100 acres – 70% contained   Grass Valley Fire Map 10/26/07

Friday, October 26, 2007 -  4:08 PM   - INLAND EMPIRE

San Bernardino County is running a bank of computers at the National Orange Show Events Center that lets residents from mountain communities plug in the addresses of their homes to determine whether they are in a burned area.

However, the county is not yet giving information about whether specific homes were destroyed.

County officials say that information will be available during a meeting at 7 p.m. tonight in the carnival lot on the west side of the Orange Show fairgrounds.

Fire victims to learn fate of homes tonight

Residents evacuated from the fire areas in the San Bernardino Mountains will learn the fate of their homes and other property at meetings scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at the two San Bernardino County evacuation centers.

The meetings at the National Orange Show fairgrounds and Victorville Evacuation Center will a display of maps of properties damaged or destroyed by the Grass Valley and Slide fires.

Crestline area residents can return home with a re-entry pass, ID and proof or residency.  You can get passes at 40th and Waterman or at the Ranger Station by Silverwood.

Poomacha Fire 3 miles from Riverside County border

With the Rice Canyon Fire no longer considered a threat to southwestern Riverside County, area fire officials were keeping a close watch today on the 39,000-acre Poomacha Fire, which originated on Palomar Mountain.

At noon, the fire was continuing its northward path and was three miles from the Riverside County line, according to Jody Hagemann, information officer for Cal Fire in Riverside County.
She said the agency is prepared for any contingency and is optimistic the blaze can be kept at bay because of favorable weather conditions.
"We have everything we need available," Hagemann said.

Shortly before noon, the DC-10 air tanker carrying fire retardant was sent up about three miles south of the Riverside County line, fire officials said.

Double-digit humidity and moist, lighter winds from the west have contributed to halting the spread of the fires, officials said.

Santiago blaze a half-mile from county line

The fire is about one-half mile from the Riverside County line and moving at a moderate rate, said Fire Information Officer Rick Vogt.

The blaze is about 30 percent contained and the main front of the fire is moving north and east. The winds are generally calm in the area, but pushing between eight and 16 mph along some of the ridge lines. Vogt said the fire could reach Santiago Peak sometime today or Saturday.

Vogt said the main effort will focus on keeping the fire from reaching the downhill side into the area south of Corona, where they could be pushed by the afternoon breeze, known as the Elsinore Wind.
 

Friday, October 26, 2007 -  1:15 PM   - SAN DIEGO

The power outage that occurred shortly after 6:40 a.m. sent a blackout through the entire city of Riverside, northern Moreno Valley, southern San Bernardino, Rubidoux, Fontana, Rialto and Muscoy.

Power lines were draped across southbound Interstate 215 shutting down the freeway in both directions for about an hour, said Southern California Edison spokesman Paul Klein. Edison officials are investigating possible fires at possible substations in the city of Riverside and San Bernardino County. It is till unclear where the fires occurred and there is no estimate time when power will be restored.

Power has been restored to parts of downtown riverside and the Canyon Crest area. Interstate 215 is now reopened, though traffic is snarled to Interstate 10. Traffic is also backed up on westbound Interstate 10 to the southbound Interstate 15.

Fire officials will also attend to share information about the fire and preparations being taken in Riverside County.

The Ranch fire, which started Saturday night northwest of Castaic, has destroyed at least seven homes and 14 boats, and charred more than 56,000 acres.

Favorable weather yesterday helped county-led fire crews surround two other major fires in the Santa Clarita area that have blackened a combined 95,000 acres.

The Ranch fire was last reported moving into Ventura County. Forest Service firefighters had predicted it would be contained or surrounded by Wednesday.

Consumer Attorneys of California are also able to help with insurance issues, according to the group’s Jordan Traverso.

More information is available by calling the group’s San Diego office at (619) 696-1166 or online at www.caoc.com/SoCalFireLegalHelp.

The group of 63 soldiers from the Bravo Co. 1st Battalion 185th Armor Division was called up to assist with the fires Tuesday under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s emergency order.

Now the group of civilians who work normal day jobs, such as police officers to real estate brokers may soon be fighting fires, helping in evacuation centers or working security in the mountains in San Bernardino or San Diego counties.

Before their mission, both Stater Bros. and Ralph’s supermarkets donated supplies to the unit. The two grocery stores donated, about $400 each worth of water, toiletries, razors, energy drinks and baked chicken.

“This is what we’re supposed to do. We’ll do anything to get normalcy back in these people’s lives,” said Specialist Bryan Stavis, 39, of Riverside.