Updates for Other Fires: Oak Glen, Pendleton Fires Continue to Burn, Cottonwood Fire Fully Contained

Not only is smoke from the Station Fire affecting the San Bernardino Mountains, officials have been dealing with now three fires over the past week, the newest one that began this afternoon.

Pendleton Fire
The newest fire, which began today around 3:30 p.m. in Yucaipa, has been deemed arson, according to the Yucaipa/Calimesa News-Mirror. By 8 p.m. it had burned 150 acres alongside a neighborhood, prompting mandatory evacuations, and was 25 percent contained (later reports indicate 300 acres). "Investigators have been notified four people in a red primered truck may be responsible for igniting the blaze just before 4 p.m. today, according to scanner transmissions," reported Dave Henderson at Rim of the World. The Pendleton Fire is connected to the Oak Glen III Fire on InciWeb.

Oak Glen III Fire
Since it began early Sunday afternoon, the fire has burned around 1,000 acres with 25 percent containment as of around 7 p.m. Mandatory Evacuations are in effect for the south and southeast portions of Oak Glen and voluntary evacuations for the remainder of Oak Glen. An Evacuation Center has been set up at Yucaipa Community Center near Yucaipa Regional Park. Much of the area has not burned since 1924.

Cottonwood Fire
After scorching 2,409 acres, the Cottonwood Fire was fully contained today. Crews remain on the scene as the fire smolders. The blaze began early Thursday evening between Hemet and Idyllwild, prompting a handful of small evacuations and closing some Highway 74. Five firefighters sustained minor injuries and the cause, which is preliminarily suspected of being a downed power line or a transformer spark, is under investigation.