California’s first large wildfire of the season burns 200 acres, 5% contained
A wildfire burning in the San Bernardino National Forest grew quickly past 100 acres Wednesday afternoon, fire officials said.
The Nob fire, the first large wildfire of the season in California, started shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday and had spread to 200 acres as of Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service. It was 5% contained.
Because of its location deep in the forest, between Wrightwood and Lytle Creek, the fire is not a threat to any surrounding communities, said Eric Sherwin, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The blaze is the first major wildfire in California this year after an exceptionally wet winter that left state officials more concerned about flooding than fires — a reversal from recent years.
By this time in 2022 — the third year of a punishing drought — firefighters across the state had already battled more than a dozen major wildfires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and federal fire data, which track incidents that burned at least 10 acres. The first major wildfire last year occurred in January, exceptionally early even as researchers say the state’s fire season will continue to lengthen with climate change.
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About 150 personnel from Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and the San Bernardino County Fire Department were battling the blaze, said Gus Bahena, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino National Forest.
By about 2 p.m., the fire was spreading at a slow to moderate rate and burning west toward the snowpack, which should help calm the flames, Bahena said.
Although the Nob fire is the first of the year, Sherwin said, its timing was not atypical.
“This is pretty common for us in this part of the year,†he said. “We will get big grass fires that run hundreds of acres … and then they burn out.
Temperatures across California started to rise Wednesday, but forecasters said the heat wave should be short-lived, with a cold front on the horizon that could limit the worst of snowmelt flooding risks.
“Fingers crossed, theoretically, that’s what happens [today],†Sherwin said. He said at this time in the season, and particularly this year, the larger brush is still pretty saturated, which makes these early-season fires typically easier to manage.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, said Bahena, adding that reports that the fire grew out of a controlled burn were false.
The Rancho Cucamonga Fire District issued a smoke advisory Wednesday, explaining smoke seen in the city was likely from the Nob fire.
The wildfire broke out as a heat wave swept across the state, expected to bring some of the warmest temperatures this year by the weekend. Sherwin said high temperatures could increase fire intensity but pointed out that the high levels of moisture in the ground — as well as the still-strong snowpack — will help balance concerns about the heat.
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