Cranston Fire: Containment Hits 57%; 13K+ Acres Scorched

IDYLLWILD, CA – Firefighters expected minimal spread of the Cranston Fire in the Idyllwild area Monday as more than 1,500 men and women work to clear a line of vegetation around the 13,130-acre blaze above the current 57 percent, officials said.

Fire behavior through the night was expected to be limited to creeping and smoldering and any movement would be minimal and in more remote areas where containment lines have not been constructed, according to an update on the CalFire Inciweb site.

Residents of the Mountain Center, Apple Canyon and Lake Hemet areas remained evacuated Monday but fire officials continued to evaluate whether to allow them to return.

Residents on Sunday were allowed to return to mountain hamlets at Pine Cove, Cedar Glen and Fern Valley, as far south as Idyllwild.

Emergency management officials warned those entering previously evacuated areas to watch for charred trees, utility poles and other debris on the roads. And on the southwest flank of the danger area, residents were allowed to return to some evacuated ranches north of Anza.

Highway 74 remained closed from Morris Ranch Road, northwest of the Highway 371 junction, through Mountain Center, and as far west as Hemet.

All U.S. Forest Service lands in the San Jacinto Ranger District and the adjacent Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument have been closed to public entry for 30 days.

Road closures remained in effect on state Highway 243 south of Banning. Highway 74 was closed from Hemet past Highway 243 at Mountain Center, to the Highway 371 junction at Aguanga.

The Palms To Pines Highway between San Diego County and the Coachella Valley remained open.

A Cranston Fire community meeting will be today, July 30 at 7 at the Idyllwild School located at 26700 Highway 243 will be conducted by San Bernardino National Forest staff. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

The fire was called in just before noon Wednesday off Highway 74 in the forest area between Hemet and Mountain Center, just east of the Cranston Fire Station.

About 4,900 structures were threatened.

The arson suspect, Brandon N. McGlover, 32, of Temecula, was arrested about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday near Newport Road and State Street in Hemet. McGlover, who's being held in lieu of $3.5 million bail, is suspected of setting nine fires in southwest Riverside County, including the Cranston Fire.

Prosecutors filed 15 arson counts against him Friday morning -- one count of aggravated arson, five counts of arson of an inhabited structure, and nine counts of arson of forest or wildland. He pleaded not guilty to all counts Friday afternoon and is due back in court Sept. 24 for a felony settlement conference.

Two firefighters were injured battling the blaze, but no details were disclosed of how they were injured or the extent of their injuries.

The Cranston Fire damaged two miles of Southern California Edison power lines, causing electrical outages in Anza and surrounding unincorporated areas in Riverside County, The Desert Sun reported.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday issued a state of emergency in Riverside County, which clears the way to provide needed state resources to battle the blaze.

The blaze also prompted the closure of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which takes guests to Mt. San Jacinto State Park, near where the fire continues to rage and send black smoke into the surrounding area. San Bernardino National Forest officials announced today, Monday, that it would reopen at 10 a.m., along with Long Valley hiking trails. Back-country trails and camping will remain closed until further notice.

Authorities issued a smoke advisory for the region through Monday morning, advising that winds could bring smoke into various parts of Riverside County, including the Coachella Valley, Banning Pass, the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley, Perris Valley and Anza.

The public can call (909) 383-5688 for information.

• ALSO SEE: Temecula Man Charged With 15 Arson Counts For 9 Separate Fires

--City News Service contributed to this report/Image via California Interagency Incident Management Team 1