Mountain fire priority of U.S. Forest Service as it nears Palm Springs

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A plume of smoke looms over Lake Hemet as a water-dropping helicopter heads to the lake to refill. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Frank Boimilla, left, and Nathan Saucedo of Lake Elsinore fish on the edge of Lake Hemet as the Mountain fire burns in the background above Highway 74. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Residents of Idyllwild stand in the center of town and watch a towering plume of smoke rise from the Mountain fire that’s burning in a wilderness area a few miles north of the community. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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U.S. Forest Service firefighters water down the smoldering embers of a mobile home on Bonita Vista Road in Mountain Center. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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Kern County firefighters take a break on the shores of Lake Hemet as a water-dropping helicopter refills during the Mountain fire off Highway 74. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Orange hazy smoke fills the air above Lake Hemet as a water-dropping helicopter uses the lake to refill during the Mountain fire off Highway 74 at Mt. San Jacinto State Park. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighting C-130 aircraft is dwarfed by a plume of smoke from the Mountain fire near Idyllwild. The wildfire had scorched more that 22,800 acres by Thursday afternoon and was only 15% contained. Evacuation of more than 2,000 homes was ordered around Idyllwild. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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San Bernardino County firefighters walk through scorched terrain as they look for hot spots and fire-damaged trees around Idyllwild. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A police cruiser speeds past a line of mailboxes along Highway 74 in Hemet as the Mountain fire rages in the distance. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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The Mountain fire burns out of control, forcing evacuations off Highway 74. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Charred remains of motor bikes stand at a residence on Bonita Vista Road. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A photographer shoots the Mountain fire on the hills along Apple Canyon Road in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Lon Paul, a well-known gunmaker, lost his shop to the wildfire that ravaged through his place on Bonita Vista Road in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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The Mountain fire looms in the background of Morris Ranch Road off Highway 74 in Garner Valley on July 17. Authorities ordered more evacutations in the area. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Arrowhead Hotshots from Kings Canyon National Park march down Mountain Fire Base Camp set up along Highway 74 in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters prepare hoses at Mountain Fire Base Camp set up along Highway 74 in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Fire retardant is dropped on a hillside near a church campground in Mountain Center. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for 24 homes in the Bonita Vista and Fleming Ranch communities. Evacuation centers for residents and pets were set up at local schools and animal shelters. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A burned-out vehicle sits at a residence on Bonita Vista Road. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Barbara Lundquist, 71, was evacuated from Idyllwild and spent the night in her 1969 VW van parked near Lake Hemet. Evacuation orders affecting about 6,000 people remained in force Thursday as the Mountain fire near Idyllwild and Fern Valley continued to burn. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Art Jaenke of Garner Valley hoses down a large shed on his property to prepare as the Mountain fire looms in the background. Jaenke is staying behind to protect his property, despite calls to evacuate. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Irene Jaenke of Garner Valley prepares to evacuate with her pets as the Mountain fire looms in the background in Garney Valley. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Resident Art Jaenke of Garner Valley, middle, watches the approaching Mountain fire with U.S. Forest Service firefighters Matt Boss, left, and Josh Richardson, near Highway 74 on July 17. Residents were told to evacuate, but Jaenke stayed behind to protect his property. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighter walks past a burned structure at a church campground on top of Apple Canyon Road in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters respond to a burned structure at a church campground located on top of Apple Canyon Road in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A town hall located at a church campground suffered some fire damage to its steps in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A hillside can be seen burning from the church campground. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A hillside burns in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A fire crew returns from protecting Zen Mountain Center at the top of Apple Canyon Road in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A helicopter drops water on the brush along Apple Canyon Road in Mountain Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

By Joseph Serna and Ari Bloomekatz

July 18, 2013 1:54 PM PT

A 23,000-acre wildfire in Riverside County is two miles from Palm Springs, bumping up against Idyllwild, and is the top priority of the U.S. Forest Service, officials said Thursday.

The Mountain fire started at 1:43 p.m. Monday near the intersection of state highways 243 and 74, but “it seems like several years ago now with everything we’ve done,” said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Jeanne Pincha-Tulley at a news conference Thursday.

The fire has burned through at least 22,800 acres and several homes near Idyllwild and remains only 15% contained. Six homes have been destroyed and firefighters were preparing for another long, hot night in the San Bernardino National Forest.

“Right now we’re into the witching hours,” Pincha-Tulley said.

Plumes of smoke have climbed thousands of feet into the sky, darkening the communities around Idyllwild and raining embers on unburned wilderness. Firefighters are working in the blaze’s wake, putting out hot spots and creating fire lines so it can’t turn back on itself, Pincha-Tulley said.

“Embers can drop anywhere,” she said.

State officials announced the National Guard has mobilized two C-130J aircraft to help battle the flames. The massive military aircraft can drop 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant at a time.

Fire officials noted the blaze’s behavior as “rapid fire spread through timber and chaparral,” and said it was currently burning east of the Apple Canyon and Mountain Center areas.

It’s unclear if the weather forecast for the next couple of days will help or hurt the cause.

Near Idyllwild, temperatures are expected to stay in the 90s through Friday before cooling off. More moisture and possibly rain could help firefighters, but that also means thunderstorms.

“It’s kind of good news, bad news,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Harrison, adding that winds were expected to shift Sunday.

Evacuation orders affected about 6,000 people in the area, from Idyllwild and Fern Valley to Bonita Vista, Trails End and Apple Canyon.

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