Screenshot from the time-lapse video of the convection column on the Apple Fire, shot by Leroy Leggitt.
This video compresses 20 minutes of high intensity wildfire behavior on the Apple Fire into 20 seconds. It was recorded at 4:18 p.m. PDT August 1, 2020 by V. Leroy Leggitt. You can see several areas of condensation at the top of the smoke column as it becomes a pyrocumulus cloud.
The Apple Fire started July 31, 2020 near Cherry Valley, California and is spreading north of Beaumont and Banning. As of August 3, 2020 it has burned over 26,000 acres.
If you are having trouble watching the video, you can see it on YouTube.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Apple Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
Map of the Apple Fire, showing the perimeter (in red) at 9 p.m. PDT August 3, 2020, The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before.
The growth of the Apple Fire north of Beaumont and Banning in southern California slowed Monday. It chewed through approximately 1,000 more acres primarily on the east side across the head of the Mill Creek Canyon and east into the San Gorgonio Wilderness. The vegetation it is moving into is sparse in some areas, especially in the higher elevations at 8,000 to 11,00o feet. Monday evening the incident management team reported 26,850 acres burned, but that number could be adjusted after they consult the mapping flight conducted at 9 p.m. Monday.
Investigators have concluded the fire was caused by hot carbon particles from the exhaust system of a diesel-powered truck, which is not an uncommon cause of vegetation fires along roadways. All internal combustion engines emit carbon particles and is why spark arrestors are required on chain saws, for example. Carbon particles from diesel engines can be much larger than particles from small engines or those powered by gasoline, and may exceed one inch. Witnesses corroborated the investigators findings. At least three ignition points were found which all merged into one fire.
Damage assessment teams are deployed and will be surveying the fire area for damage to structures and infrastructure.
Evacuation information for Riverside County Residents can be found at www.rivcoready.org/ActiveEvents.
In San Bernardino County, the community of Oak Glen is under an evacuation order. Forest Falls, Pioneertown, and Rim Rock are all under an evacuation warning.
3-D map of the Apple Fire, showing the perimeter (in red) at 9 p.m. PDT August 3, 2020, The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before.
This is why at Wildfire Today we do not repeat the containment percentages given out by fire officials. From NBCLosAngeles today:
Earlier Sunday morning, fire officials said progress had been made and the blaze was 12% contained. However in a later update after U.S. Forest Service took over command, fire officials said the blaze was 0% contained.
On Sunday thousands of people had been busting their asses on the fire for three days, and the U.S. Forest Service basically said not a single foot of fire perimeter had a good fireline.
Resources on the Apple Fire Monday included 31 hand crews, 321 fire engines, 28 dozers, 12 helicopters, 2 small fixed wing planes, 50 water tenders, and a variable number of air tankers for a total of 2,565 personnel.
Originally published August 3, 2020 | 11:31 a.m. PDT
3-D map of the Apple Fire, showing the perimeter (in red) at 7:45 p.m. PDT August 2, 2020, Looking north. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before.
The Apple fire burned actively Sunday, primarily to the north and east. Much of the fire activity is being driven by the record low moisture content of the vegetation in the area combined with high temperatures and low relative humidity. These conditions are contributing to active fire behavior both day and night.
The fire started July 31 near Cherry Valley, California and is spreading north of Beaumont and Banning.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Apple Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
A mapping flight Sunday evening at 7:45 determined that the fire had burned 24,830 acres, an increase of about 10,000 acres in 24 hours. At about 11 a.m. the incident management team announced it had grown to 26,450 acres.
Sunday night and early Monday morning the fire was very active. Multiple spot fires ignited on the north side which were attacked by a night-vision equipped helicopter. Two of the spot fires were caught but one grew significantly and will be assessed.
The Apple fire is burning in an area with no recent fire history. It is expected to burn into less dense fuels as it progresses. Firefighters on the ground and in the air are building fireline directly on the fire’s edge where possible and are protecting structures in local communities. The extremely steep slopes and elevations up to 11,000 feet make this a challenging assignment for firefighters.
Map of the Apple Fire, showing the perimeter (in red) at 7:45 p.m. PDT August 2, 2020, The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before.
Evacuation information for Riverside County residents is available at the county website where residents can enter an address to see if they are in an evacuation area.
In San Bernardino County, the community of Oak Glen is under an evacuation order. Forest Falls, Pioneer Town, and Rim Rock are all under an evacuation warning.
Apple Fire, San Bernardino NF, August 2, 2020. Screenshot from ABC7 video.
The weather forecast for Monday calls for more of the same conditions that have led to rapid growth of the fire — 91 to 96 degrees, 15 to 20 percent relative humidity, and ridgetop winds out of the west at 20 mph.
It is difficult for meteorologists to create a forecast for a fire like this. It is on very steep topography that ranges from 3,400 feet at Cherry Valley to 11,503 feet at the top of Mount San Gorgonio.
A steep slope at high elevation on the Apple Fire, San Bernardino NF, August 2, 2020. Screenshot from ABC7 video.
Air Tanker 15, a BAe-146, drops on the Apple Fire August 2, 2020. Screenshot from ABC7 video.
A television station in Los Angeles, ABC 7, has occasionally been live-streaming video shot from a helicopter over the Apple Fire. The station has posted on YouTube 68 minutes of video that was shot today, August 2. I did not have the time to watch all of it, but I jumped around sampling different segments and found it to be fascinating. The video is below, and I have included a few screenshots.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Apple Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
I am not sure (and someone correct me if I’m wrong) but I think in the photo below, the highest point on the left, the white barren area, is Mount San Gorgonio, the highest peak in Southern California and the Transverse Ranges at 11,503 feet.
Apple Fire, San Bernardino National Forest, August 2, 2020. Screenshot from ABC7 video.Air Tanker 914, a DC-10, drops on the Apple Fire August 2, 2020. Screenshot from ABC7 video.Apple Fire, San Bernardino National Forest, August 2, 2020; looking west across the San Gorgonio River. Screenshot from ABC7 video.Air Tanker 137, a B-737, drops on the Apple Fire August 2, 2020. Screenshot from ABC7 video.
Areas predicted to be affected Sunday include southeast California, northern Arizona, southern Utah, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico
August 2, 2020 | 9:30 a.m. PDT
Forecast by NOAA for the distribution of smoke created by the Apple Fire in southern California at 2 p.m. PDT August 2, 2020.
The Apple Fire north of Beaumont and Banning in southern California has been burning vigorously and creating a very large amount of smoke since it started at 5 p.m. July 31. The map above is a prediction by NOAA for the distribution of wildfire smoke at 2 p.m. PDT today, August 2. It predicts that areas significantly affected will include southeast California, northern Arizona, southern Utah, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Apple Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
The size of the Apple Fire is uncertain because the north side of the fire could not be completely mapped at 8:30 p.m. Saturday by the fixed wing aircraft due to the very large convection column of smoke and heat over the fire. But the crew was able to map 15,000 acres of the blaze.
Satellite photo by GOES-17 of smoke created by the Apple Fire in southern California at 7 a.m. PDT August 2, 2020. NASA.
The fire has burned 20,516 acres in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties
August 2, 2020 | Updated at 11:21 a.m. PDT
3-D map of the Apple Fire, showing the perimeter at 8:30 p.m. PDT August 1, 2020. The north side of the fire could not be completely mapped at that time by the fixed wing aircraft due to the convection column over the fire.
The Apple Fire north of Beaumont and Banning in southern California was very active Saturday afternoon and continued to spread well into the night. A fixed wing aircraft attempted to map the fire at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and was not able to completely gather intelligence on the north side due to a vigorous convection column of smoke and heat in that area. The crew on the aircraft was able to confirm that at least 15,000 acres had burned at that time. That was updated by the incident management team at about 10 a.m. PDT to 20,516 acres.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Apple Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
Several evacuation orders are in effect for the Apple Fire. Visit the Riverside County website to see a map of the evacuation areas or to determine if your address is affected.
The wind Saturday and Saturday night was consistent, blowing from the west at 11 to 14 mph and gusting to 18 mph. Combined with the steep south-facing slopes, the fire spread uphill north toward San Gorgonio Mountain and east parallel with Interstate 10 north of Banning.
The red line was the perimeter of the Apple Fire mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 8:30 p.m. PDT August 1, 2020. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:48 a.m. PDT August 2, 2020. The north side of the fire could not be completely mapped by the fixed wing aircraft due to the convection column of smoke and heat over the fire.
The Apple Fire is well established east of the San Gorgonio River. Approximately 80 percent of the fire is in the San Bernardino National Forest and a portion of the southeast perimeter has spread into the Morongo Reservation. The remainder is on land protected by the state and the counties of Riverside and San Bernardino.
A Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered to assume command of the fire.
Current resources on the fire include 20 hand-crews, 6 helicopters, 178 fire engines, and 19 water tenders. A variable number of air tankers are available to the fire as well, depending on other wildfire activity. There are also a number of unfilled resource orders, and some are responding that are not yet on-scene.
The incident management team expects fire activity to remain high Sunday.
The weather forecast for the Cherry Valley area on Sunday is for 95 degrees, 10 to 15 percent relative humidity, and afternoon winds from the west at 4 to 7 mph gusting to 12 mph, with ridgetop speeds of 15 to 20 mph. Firefighters would not consider these conditions extreme, but they could indicate weather conducive to additional fire spread.
Apple Fire, looking northeast from Elsinore Mountain at 1:26 a.m. August 2, 2020. Via @CAFireScanner.Apple Fire August 1, 2020, from Noble Creek Park, Beaumont, CA. US Forest Service photo by Zach Behrens.
Saturday morning the fire was mapped at 1,900 acres
UPDATED at 4:26 p.m. PDT August 1, 2020
The map below shows heat detected on the Apple Fire by a satellite at 12:48 p.m. PDT August 1. On Saturday the fire has been moving to the north and east and by 3:30 p.m. had spread past the Oak Glen Conservation Camp.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Apple Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
The map shows heat detected on the Apple Fire by a satellite at 12:48 p.m. PDT August 1, 2020. The red arrows were added by Wildfire Today.
UPDATED at 3:31 p.m. PDT August 1, 2020
Apple Fire at 2:13 p.m. August 1, 2020. Toro Peak looking northeast.
The Apple fire has been very active in the early afternoon Saturday, spreading up the slope at least two miles over the last 12 hours, surrounding CAL FIRE’s Oak Glen Conservation Camp #35. The 40 acre site built in 1949 for housing and training up to seven inmate fire crews is the largest state facility of its kind.
The red arrows on the map indicate the spread of the Apple Fire Saturday afternoon, August 1, 2020.Apple Fire, DC-10 air tanker dropping near the Oak Glen Conservation Camp. Screenshot from ABC7 video.
CAL FIRE/Riverside County reported at 3 p.m. Saturday the Apple Fire has burned 4,125 acres.
Firefighters have ordered additional large and very large air tankers including two DC-10s and the 747. Additional strike teams of engines, dozers, and crews have also been requested.
Apple Fire at 2:13 p.m. August 1, 2020. Reche Peak looking southeast.
The weather conditions are not in favor of the firefighters. At 2:13 p.m. Saturday a weather station at Banning recorded winds out of the west at 10 mph gusting to 22, temperature of 99 degrees, and relative humidity of 9 percent.
(Originally published at 10:32 p.m. PDT August 1, 2020)
3-D map of the Apple, approximate location, based on heat detected by a satellite at 3:06 a.m. PDT Aug 1, 2020. Not to be used for planning purposes.
At about 5 p.m. Friday when firefighters arrived at what is now the Apple Fire north of Beaumont, California in Cherry Valley, they found at least two separate fires burning along Oak Glen Road. Saturday it has grown into a 1,900-acre blaze that has prompted evacuations and has destroyed at least one home and two outbuildings.
CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire is in Unified Command with the U.S. Forest Service, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and California Highway Patrol.
The fire is burning between Oak Glen Road on the west and Bluff Street on the east. It is about three miles south of Oak Glen.
Apple Fire August 1, 2020. @Captain2500agl
Resources working on the fire Saturday morning include 5 helicopters, 43 fire engines, 10 hand crews, 3 water tenders, and 3 dozers, for a total of 375 personnel. Large and very large air tankers are busy over the fire this morning.
Map showing heat detected on the Apple Fire by a satellite at 3:06 a.m. PDT Aug 1, 2020.Apple Fire, from Reche Peak at 9:45 a.m. PDT August 1, 2020.
