UPDATED 8:30AM SATURDAY, AUGUST 11,2018
Progress is being reported this morning (Saturday) containing the Holy Fire, which has spread to more than 20,000 acres and displaced thousands of residents evacuated from communities in and near Lake Elsinore.
A tweet Saturday morning (Aug. 11) from the Cleveland National Forest Twitter feed reports that the #Holyfire that has been threatening Lake Elsinore foothill communities is now 29% contained at 21,473 acres.
Another tweet from @ClevelandNF this morning says, "Evacuations have now been lifted ONLY for the Horsethief, McVicker and Rice areas with Mountain St at Avocado Way closed at pavemnt in Lake Elsinore."
Evacuations are still in effect for many communities west of the 15 Freeway between Lake Elsinore and Temescal Valley.
There are 18 helicopters, 12 fixed-wing aircraft, dozens of bulldozers, nearly 150 fire engines, and more than 1,500 personnel assigned to fight the Holy Fire, triple the number of firefighters that first encountered the blaze after it was first reported Monday, August 6. A suspect is in custody, charged with intentionally setting the blaze.
In addition to the threat posed to nearby communities by flames, smoke from the Holy Fire prompted several Riverside County school districts to close schools because of concerns about poor air quality. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued smoke advisories for portions of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Governor Jerry Brown has declared an official State of Emergency for Orange and Riverside counties, meaning state disaster resources will be more quickly available to authorities commanding the firefight.
The suspect– a resident of the Holy Jim Canyon area where 12 structures have been destroyed by the blaze - is in custody charged with intentionally starting the fire allegedly because of a neighborhood feud. Forrest Clark is being held on a million dollars bail charged with several arson related felonies.
FOR MORE OFFICIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOLY FIRE, CLICK HERE.
