Firefighters battle Holy Fire as it approaches structures

The fire has burned over 18,000 acres northwest of Lake Elsinore, California

(Originally published at 9:01 a.m. PDT August 10, 2018)

Thursday afternoon and evening the Holy Fire northwest of Lake Elsinore in Southern California bumped up against homes on the southeast and east sides of the fire. Firefighters on the ground and in the air battled the flames very close to homes along McVicker Canyon Park Road and near the intersection of Grand Avenue and Lake Street.

A spokesperson for the incident management team said the fire grew close to El Cariso Village up on the hill above Lake Elsinore but it had not crossed the Ortega Highway, SR 74.

map Holy Fire California
In this map of the Holy Fire, the red line was the perimeter at 9:45 p.m. PDT August 8, 2018. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite 200 miles overhead at 2:54 a.m. PDT August 10, 2018. The accuracy of those heat sources is not guaranteed, and should be taken with a grain of salt. They may or may not be real. Click to enlarge.

Satellite heat sensing data shows that the fire spread significantly to the north and also on the south side, approaching the Ortega Highway.

(To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Holy Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.)

The team has not confirmed that any structures have been destroyed since day one of the fire on August 6 when approximately 12 structures in Trabuco Canyon were destroyed. It was not specified if the structures were outbuildings, such as sheds, or residences. A damage assessment team will be deployed Friday to determine if any homes were destroyed on the Riverside County side of the fire Thursday.

Fire officials said Friday morning the fire has burned approximately 18,137 acres, an increase of more than 8,000 acres in the last 24 hours.

Information released by the Cleveland National Forest, which is where the fire is burning, indicates that in addition to the weather, steep terrain, and limited access, another reason they are losing ground is they are not able to obtain all the firefighting resources they have requested. This is a result of many large fires currently burning in the Western United States — all competing for ground and air resources. Today over 29,000 personnel are assigned to wildland fires across the country.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

3 thoughts on “Firefighters battle Holy Fire as it approaches structures”

  1. Well, there seems to be a new “Hat Fire” northeast of the Carr Fire and some of their firing operations seem to have backfired on the Carr Fire’s northwest end wwhere spot fires have gone north judiging from the heat sensoring. The Hat fire which has exploded larger and a few other smaller fires which capture the attention of what firefighters and resources goes where also limit the Holy Fire. I’m wondering if such emergency circumstances are motivating the freaks who are lighting all these things. Everyone wants to blame climate change for fire increases, but what about the increase in kooks who get turned on to all this stuff. How do you combat kooks ? I’m at a loss here.

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