UPDATE: Fire Crews Work Through Night, First Aircraft Up at Sunrise to Fight Banning Blaze

—> Editor's Note: Read all of Thursday's updates on the Summit Fire here.

Updated at 12:52 a.m. Thursday:

A "significant" number of firefighters were scheduled to fight the Summit Fire through the night and into the morning hours, a Cal Fire Battalion Chief told Patch Wednesday night.

Close to 500 firefighters were scheduled to help with the incident during the night, Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson said.

"We'll be letting some people go to rest for a little while while we're getting a handle on things, and then we'll keep the rest ready to come out in the morning," she said.

"But we're going to have all hands on deck until we get the forward rate of spread on this stopped."

Air attack was scheduled to come out as soon as the sun comes up.

"They'll probably have somebody out at first light to asses it," Hutchinson said.  "And then we will stagger our resources coming out so that we can make sure we have them throughout the day to come and assist us out at the fire."

Updated at 12:30 a.m. Thursday: 

Updated at 10 p.m.:

Indian School Road, Eighth Street and Highland Springs Avenue were reopened Wednesday night, while road closures remained in place for San Gorgonio Avenue, Sunset Avenue, Bluff Road and Wilson Avenue.

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Updated at 9 p.m.:

The so-called Summit fire in Banning had grown to 2,956 acres by Wednesday night; its spread was 35 percent contained and moving slowly, fire officials said.

Updated at 8:23 p.m.:

An evacuation order for residents at the Highland Springs Mobile Home Park was lifted Wednesday night, as firefighters on the ground prepared to continue battling the blaze.

Aircraft was grounded as darkness settled over the land, a fire still raging, though 30 percent contained.

Winds -- clocked at 29 mph earlier in the day -- had died down but Cal Fire Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson told Patch she expected the winds to "blow really hard tomorrow.

"Right now the (lack of) winds are a blessing," she said.

Hutchinson said firefighters would rest at the Noble Creek base camp in shifts through the night but firefighting efforts would continue.

"We're going to have all hands on deck until we get the full rate of this stopped.

We've got to get people back in their homes, so we're not going to be all sleeping and waiting until morning," Hutchinson said.

Aircraft will begin attacking the fire with daylight but resources will be staggered to allow for mandated downtime, the battalion chief said.

Most of the aircraft -- some of them from other areas in the state -- were parked Wednesday night at Hemet-Ryan and Ramona airports, she said.

Officials also opened Mias Canyon Road but have kept Bluff Road closed indefinitely, officials said.

Emergency responders warned residents to drive carefully because of fire equipment and barricades in the area, as well as signs. 

Updated at 7:23 p.m.:

The so-called Summit Fire in Banning was 30 percent contained as of 7 p.m., officials said.

There was no estimated time given for full containment but Bluff Road was to remain closed until further notice.

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Updated at 6:34 p.m.:

The so-called Summit Fire is now mapped at 1,700 acres, fire officials said.

An evacuation center for small animals has been opened at San Jacinto Valley Animal Services, 581 South Grand Avenue, San Jacinto.

A large animal evacuation center has been opened at Noble Creek Park - 390 Oak Valley Parkway in Beaumont.

To read that story, please click here.

Updated at 6:16 p.m.:

The Highland Springs Mobile Home Park -- with about 200 homes -- has been evacuated, fire officials said.

Updated at 5 p.m.:

Fire officials have ordered 500 evacuations at the scene of the Banning fire, which so far has burned 1,500 acres, with no containment in sight.

Updated at 4:43 p.m.:

The so-called "Summit Fire" in Banning has scorched 1,500 acres and burned a firefighter, who was taken to an area hospital, Patch has learned.

There are about 24 homes threatened by the blaze, and one home has already burned, Patch learned at the scene.

The firefighter was burned while working at Wilson Street, near Sunset Avenue, Patch learned.

Meanwhile, more mandatory evacuations of homes and other buildings have been ordered:

• The north end of Mountain Avenue -- about 50 homes facing Morongo Indian Reservation.
• The Highland Springs Country Club, 10890 Deerfield Drive, Cherry Valley.

There are still 425 firefighters at the scene -- including units from Pechanga Indian Reservation in Temecula, Murrieta and Palm Springs fire.

Updated at 4:24 p.m.:

Patch has confirmed at the scene that a home burned in the so-called "Summit Fire."

The wildland blaze in Banning had burned 200 acres in about four hours, with zero percent containment reported Wednesday afternoon.

Updated at 4:03 p.m.:

Reports that at least one home was burned in the Banning wildland fire were not immediately confirmed by Cal Fire officials.

Meanwhile, more road closures have been announced:

• Highland Springs Avenue, north of Eighth Street;
• Oak Valley Parkway between Highland Springs and Starlight Court.

Updated at 3:36 p.m.:

An evacuation center has been opened at the Banning Community Services Center, 789 N. San Gorgonio Ave., officials said.

A total 425 firefighters are battling the blaze, assisted by six air tanker and six helicopter crews, according to Cal Fire officials.

Updated at 3:02 p.m.:

Noble Creek Park has become a fire base camp for the current wildland fire responders in Banning.

Officials have shut it down indefinitely, according to Diane Gonzalez, Activities Specialist for the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Recreation & Park District.

"At this time we do not know the length of time," Gonzalez told Patch.

Updated at 2:22 p.m.: The wildland fire in Banning has gobbled 150 acres, with no containment in sight, officials said.

Road closures are also in place, with all of Wilson Street -- between San Gorgonio and Highland Springs Avenue -- shut down, Hagemann said.

Firefighters from San Bernardino County, U.S. Forest Service and the Morongo tribe are assisting Riverside County.

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Updated at 2:10 p.m.  Homes on Indian School Lane and the top of 8th Street have been evacuated by Banning police, Jody Hagemann of Cal Fire says in an update.

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Updated at 2 p.m.: The blaze burning in Banning is now up to 60 acres, officials said and Sunset Avenue -- north of Wilson Street -- has been closed, Patch has learned.

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More than 150 firefighters are battling a fire in Banning Wednesday, after it was reported at 12:38 p.m., Riverside County Fire Department officials report.

The fire is burning in the area of North San Gorgonio Road and Summit Drive, near the Banning Bench, according to fire spokeswoman Jody Hagemann.

As of this posting, the fire is at 10 acres, though it's  "burning in light to medium fuels at a rapid rate," Hagemann said.

Hagemann told Patch that the fire is being driven by the strong winds, which are currently gusting up to 30 mph.  

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the area earlier Wednesday, meaning that  "a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential." 

So far, 154 firefigthers from six crews, along with two air tankers have been assigned to the fire, according to Hagemann.

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