Silver Fire Update: Caltrans Says No Timetable for Opening 243, Estimated Road Repair Costs $1.3M, Escorts Possible by Tuesday

For Tuesday, August 13 updates, click here.

Update 6:30 p.m. The Silver Fire burn area was declared 100 percent contained at 6 p.m. Monday Aug. 12.

The estimated cost of fighting the fire and dealing with its aftermath was calculated at $9.99 million, according to Cal Fire.

More than 800 personnel remained assigned to the incident.

Silent Valley RV Park remained closed.

The cause of the fire, which broke out Aug. 7 near Poppet Flats, destroyed 48 structures including 26 homes, scorched more than 31 square miles and resulted in at least a dozen injuries, remained under investigation.

Update 4:10 p.m. There is no timetable for re-opening Highway 243 between Banning and Poppet Flats, and it will cost an estimated $1.3 million to repair damages to that stretch of roadway during the Silver Fire, a Caltrans District 8 spokeswoman said Monday afternoon.

Escorts between south Banning, Twin Pines and Poppet Flats may be possible by Tuesday, Joy Sepulveda of Caltrans District 8 said in a phone interview at 3:20 p.m. Aug. 12.

"As of this moment Caltrans still does not have control of the highway," Sepulveda said. "That is still under local law enforcement, CHP and fire jurisdiction as of this time.

"Our contractor is gathering the materials he needs, namely the posts for the guardrail, in order to mobilize to begin repairs," Sepulveda said. "We are hoping that mobilization will take place tomorrow morning."

Guardrail and signs have been damaged on stretches of the 243 between Banning and Twin Pines, and on another stretch between Twin Pines and Poppet Flats, according to Sepulveda.

"We haven't gone in to make all the assessments yet, but speaking from, you know the Falls Fire on Highway 74, guardrail was not the only item that needed repair," Sepulveda said. "We're going to have roadside signs that are going to be down, melted, we're going to have berm, the asphalt that will be melted, we're going to have re-striping that we're going to have to do, because the thermoplastic has melted as well."

Sepulveda said she could not provide any time estimate for completion of all repairs and restoration of the 243 to is condition prior to the Silver Fire.

"We will have a better idea of that when our contractor mobilizes tomorrow morning," Sepulveda said. "I believe it's a 1.3 million dollar contract."

Sepulveda emphasized the contract is strictly to repair damage caused by the Silver Fire to Highway 243. Asked what else she wants the public to know about the situation, she said:

"At this time we do not have an escort schedule in place. We do not know how that is going to work. Once the contractor mobilizes tomorrow morning, we're going to set up an escort schedule much like we did on State Route 74, to get residents up and down the mountain as we can.

"That's not in place yet. Once we mobilize we will work with CHP to establish that."

Update 1:45 p.m.  Evacuation orders for all of the communities affected by the Silver Fire south of Banning are officially lifted as of 2 p.m., the Riverside County Fire Department announced Monday afternoon.  However, a main thoroughfare to the area remains partially closed.

Initial mandatory evacuations orders began on Wednesday, Aug. 7, when the fast-growing wildfire scorched an estimated 3,000 acres in its first hour alone, according to Cal Fire.

Orders were lifted for "residents only" beginning Friday, but now everyone can once again travel to the communities of: Poppet Flats, Mt. Edna, Silent Valley and Twin Pines, according to Robbie Richards, a spokesman for incident command at Beaumont's Noble Creek Park.

Though the Riverside County Sheriff's Department has lifted the orders for all communities - one development, nearby hiking trails and campgrounds will remain closed.

"The Silent Valley RV Park remains closed," the sheriff's department said.  "Information regarding the status of Silent Valley RV Park should be directed to the park's management."

Banning-Beaumont Patch attempted to contact the park for comment, but could not immediately reach a representative.

Both the Riverside County Fire Department and the Sheriff's Department reported the following update on the Highway 243 closure:

Highway 243 will remain closed north of Twin Pines Road to Wesley Street in Banning due to road damage. In order to reach Twin Pines, Mt. Edna and Poppet Flats communities, use Highway 74 (East) to Highway 243 (North).

The communities of Twin Pines, Mt. Edna or Poppet Flats are not accessible through the Soboba Indian Reservation or southbound Highway 243 from the city of Banning. Motorists are encouraged to please use caution while driving into the area and resuming day-to-day activities.

Residents are encouraged to please use caution while driving back into the area and resuming day-to-day activities. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department will continue security patrols in these communities are they repopulate and settle.

The following also remain closed: The Pacific Crest, Marion Mountain and Seven Pines hiking trails and Marion Mountain, Fern Basin, Dark Canyon, Black Mountain and Boulder Basin campgrounds.

Update 1:05 p.m. The only paved road from south Banning to Twin Pines and Poppet Flats is expected to remain closed to residents in part because the Silver Fire burned an estimated 10 miles of guardrail, a Caltrans spokeswoman tells Banning-Beaumont Patch.

At a mutual aid meeting Monday morning, fire agency officials discussed handing responsibility for Highway 243 over to the Sheriff's Department, Caltrans District 8 representative Shelli Lombardo said in a phone interview at 12:35 p.m. Aug. 12.

In addition to guardrail, there are signs and reflectors that must be replaced on the winding mountain road, Lombardo said.

"Until fire hands road back to Caltrans nothing we can do," Lombardo said. "We should know more about 2 p.m. today."

Paved roads that remain open to reach Poppet Flats and Twin Pines include Highway 74 and Highway 243 from Mountain Center.

Posted 10:45 a.m. The Silver Fire burn area south of Banning and Cabazon was 95 percent contained Monday morning, and costs of fighting the blaze and dealing with its aftermath rose to $9,370,768, according to incident commanders in Beaumont.

Highway 243 remained closed between Banning and Poppet Flats, and it was expected to remain closed through the end of this week, according to the California Highway Patrol.

There was no timetable for re-opening the 243 between Banning and Poppet Flats for residents, Robbie Richards, a spokesman for incident command at Noble Creek Park, said in a phone interview.

The Silver Fire burn area was estimated at 20,292 acres, equal to 31.7 miles, as of 7 a.m. Aug. 12. Full containment was hoped for later Monday.

The fire, which was first reported just after 2 p.m. Wednesday Aug. 7, destroyed 48 structures including 26 homes, according to Cal Fire. It is also resulted in 11 firefighter injuries and severe burn injuries for a civilian caught in flames on Wolfskill Truck Trail south of Old Banning-Idyllwild Road.

There were 1,434 personnel assigned to the blaze as of Monday morning. That figure was expected to decrease dramatically as "large scale demobilization" of personnel continued.

Silent Valley RV Club remained closed. Marion Mountain, Fern Basin, Dark Canyon, Black Mountain and Boulder Basin campgrounds remained closed.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, according to Cal Fire.

More on the Silver Fire from Banning-Beaumont Patch:

SILVER FIRE UPDATE: Demobilization Begins as Costs Rise to More than $8.8 Million
SILVER FIRE UPDATE: Burn Area is 19,000 Acres, 70 Percent Contained, 11 Injured

Updated Interactive Map of Silver Fire Burn Area by Esri of Redlands

SILVER FIRE HELP: Victim Resources for Debris Clean-Up, Assistance Contacts

SILVER FIRE RECOVERY: In Devastated Poppet Flats Neighborhood, Pig Survives Blaze and Neighbors Pull Together

SILVER FIRE: How You Can Help Fire Victims With Clothing, Monetary Donations

SILVER FIRE UPDATE: Evacs Lifted in Some Communities, Fire Estimated at 17,500 Acres

SILVER FIRE BURN VICTIM: Man Was Found on Old Banning-Idyllwild Road

SILVER FIRE VIDEO: Poppet Flats Resident Returns to Home Burned to Ground

SILVER FIRE MAP: Interactive Public Info by Esri of Redlands

VIDEO: As Silver Fire Advances Evacuee Says 'We Decided to Leave on Our Own'

Inside the Silver Fire: Photos From Evacuated Areas in San Jacinto Mountains

Beaumont Unified School District Employee Loses Everything in Silver Fire

Silver Fire Evacuation Center, Fire Camp Set Up in Beaumont

Video, Pics: Silver Fire South of Banning

SILVER FIRE UPDATE: 26 Homes Destroyed, 6 Injuries to Date