Whitewater Canyon Closed Due to Fire Danger

A closure due to fire danger was announced Friday for Whitewater Canyon near the east end of the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

The closure does not apply to hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail, a Cal Fire spokeswoman said in a phone interview.

Whitewater Canyon was one of seven hiking areas in Riverside County for which closures were imposed by Cal Fire-Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins, according to a Cal Fire statement released Friday.

Further west on federal land, a fire burning drought-stricken and bug-killed trees in the San Gorgonio Wilderness was considered 70 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Momyer Fire started Sunday above Forest Falls and was expected to be contained by May 17, according to the Forest Service.

Headwaters for the upper South Fork, Middle Fork and North Fork of the Whitewater River are in the east San Gorgonio Wilderness, where fire hazards exist at high and low elevations.

The other hiking areas closures in Riverside County announced Friday include Avery Canyon in Hemet; North Mountain and Indian Canyon in the San Jacinto area; Nuevo and Lakeview east of Menifee Road and San Jacinto Avenue; Minto in Sage; Reinhardt Canyon, north of Highway 74 and California Avenue in Hemet; and the Ramona Bowl and Bautista Canyon in southeast Hemet.

Riverside County Ordinance 787.6 restricts public access to these identified hazardous fire areas unless private property access is required, according to Cal Fire.

Public roadway travel is permitted, providing people stay on the roads within hazardous fire areas, according to Cal Fire. Anyone violating the ordinance may be subject to a minimum fine of $100 for first-time offenses.

Future closures may be imposed based on weather conditions, fuel moisture and increased wildland fire threat, according to Cal Fire.

For more information on the closure of these hazardous fire call Cal Fire-Riverside County Fire Department administration at (951) 940-6900. For more information about wildfire awareness, visit the agency's web site at http://www.rvcfire.org/opencms/index.html