Apple Fire chars nearly 44 square miles, prompting evacuation warning for Morongo Valley

A firefighter from Carpinteria monitors a huge plume of smoke from the Apple north of Banning in this undated photo. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Aug 6, 2020 / 05:10 PM PDT

Updated: Aug 6, 2020 / 05:10 PM PDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has issued new evacuation warnings for residents of Morongo Valley, where the nearby Apple fire has ravaged Cherry Valley and the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest for nearly a week.

The warnings came two days after evacuation orders in Riverside County were lifted as firefighters seemed to gain ground in their battle against the blaze.

As of Thursday, 28,085 acres have burned, and the fire is 30% contained. More than 2,000 personnel have been dispatched to fight the fire, the San Bernardino Forest Service said.

Although the fire remains mostly in Riverside County, San Bernardino County officials said the blaze was creeping over county lines. They advised residents of Morongo Valley to use the 62 Freeway east or west as an evacuation route.

#AppleFire COMMUNITY OF MORONGO VALLEY you are now subject to an Evacuation WARNING. There is a potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now. Evacuation route is Hwy 62 east or west. pic.twitter.com/38m9RarTdd
— Morongo Basin (@morongobasinstn) August 6, 2020