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Apple Fire Update: Firefighters Are Working On 'Burn Area Repair'
The current perimeter of the Apple Fire. (Courtesy of Cal Fire)
The Apple Fire has been burning in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties for more than a week. The wildfire has consumed over 32,400 acres and is now 35% percent contained.
Crews have used a few controlled burns to clear fuel away from the fire's path and establish a break line along the north side of the fire. They're also doing spot checks for embers.
Operations section chief Pat Russell says firefighters are turning their attention to what they call burn area repair.
"Our next big concern is making sure that this watershed is as good as we can get it for when the rains do come because we don't want debris flows and drainages. And we're very careful that we don't put retardant and we protect those waterways."
Contrary to early speculation, investigators say arson was not the cause of the fire. Instead, three sparks were started by particles from a diesel exhaust pipe that combined into one fire.
Fire behavior is expected to be less active than yesterday. The fire will make slow progress until it finds a favorable condition to burn into a new drainage.
#AppleFire Smoke Outlook for August 8 and 9
— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) August 8, 2020
Overall, smoke production is expected to be less today than yesterday. In the early morning hours, smoke will travel eastward along the I-10. https://t.co/7f7l6jqN9R pic.twitter.com/RPeFP0yNcU
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