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Pilot Fire: School districts remain closed, fire grows
Media and firefighters along CA Highway 173 Sunday afternoon at the Pilot Fire.
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Stuart Palley for KPCC
)
The Pilot Fire burns near CA Highway 173 Sunday afternoon.
The Pilot Fire burns in the San Bernardino National Forest Sunday afternoon August 7th, 2016. The fire had burned over 1,000 acres and was threatening structures.
(
Stuart Palley for KPCC
)
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Tracy Burwell (via Ron Davidson) / Twitter
)
Firefighters on CA Highway 173 its the Pilot Fire moves toward the road Sunday afternoon.
The Pilot Fire burns in the San Bernardino National Forest Sunday afternoon August 7th, 2016. The fire had burned over 1,000 acres and was threatening structures.
(
Stuart Palley for KPCC
)
The Pilot Fire burns off CA Highway 138 Sunday evening.
Long exposure.
The Pilot Fire burns in the San Bernardino National Forest Sunday afternoon August 7th, 2016. The fire had burned over 1,000 acres and was threatening structures.
(
Stuart Palley for KPCC
)
All schools were closed Tuesday in the Hesperia and Apple Valley unified districts as the fast-spreading Pilot Fire grew to nearly 11 square miles Tuesday morning and sent plumes of smoke across the San Bernardino Mountains. By Tuesday evening, it had grown to more than 12 square miles, with containment remaining low.
All Hesperia and Apple Valley schools were set to remain closed Wednesday due to poor air quality, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Riverside Prep Elementary is also closing.
Apple Valley schools had already been closed Tuesday because of the poor air quality and they had previously planned to reopen Wednesday. Hesperia Unified noted that it was closing Tuesday as a precaution as the fire shifted north.
This story is no longer being updated.
The fire started at about noon Sunday and has burned through scrub and brush left extremely dry after years of drought.
Fire Tracker: Pilot Fire in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino National Forest spokesman Bob Poole told KPCC those fuels haven’t burned in at least 15 or 20 years.
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Nearly 1,000 firefighters assisted from above by air tankers and helicopters were working to contain the fire, which was threatening about 5,300 homes.
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Mandatory evacuations were expanded in Hesperia late Monday to include the Summit Valley area south of Ranchero Road from Arrowhead Lake Road to Santa Fe.
Voluntary evacuations were in place in the Lake Arrowhead area, including everything north of Peninsula Road between Brentwood and North Bay roads.
One of the evacuated areas, Deer Lodge Park, remained threatened Tuesday. The fire has spread to a rocky area above the small residential community on the north side of Lake Arrowhead, and it continued to creep down toward the community. About 200 homes were threatened there.
Some people remained in the area despite orders to evacuate, and firefighters were told to watch out for the potential hazard of people driving around in the area.
No homes have been burned and no injuries have been reported.
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This story has been updated.
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