Firefighters are battling a fast-moving brush fire that erupted near the entrance of Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County on Tuesday afternoon, prompting evacuations at the recreational area and forcing the closure of a nearby highway.
The Silver Fire was ignited by a car fire on Highway 138 at the entrance to Lake Silverwood just before 1:15 p.m., said Eric Sherwin of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The fire quickly scorched between 15 to 20 acres, and was spreading rapidly through chaparral, Sherwin said a short time after it erupted.
By 3:30 p.m., the fire was holding steady at 20 acres and retardant lines were complete, according to a tweet from the San Bernardino National Forest, which was the lead agency in the firefight.
About an hour later, containment was at 15 percent.
About 200 firefighters were on scene battling the flames, officials said.
It was unclear if any structures were threatened.
Silverwood Lake was under an evacuation order, according to the incident information page for the fire.
Highway 138 had been closed throughout the afternoon but reopened by 9 p.m.
KTLA’s Jennifer Thang contributed to this story.