SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A fast-growing wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest has prompted the evacuation of several communities and has destroyed homes.
About 500 firefighters are tackling the Cranston Fire, which began Wednesday morning and is 3,000 acres and 0% contained, according to officials with the San Bernardino National Forest.
Video recorded from helicopters of CNN affiliates appeared to show several homes and cabins going up in flames. Other homes looked to be covered with red flame retardant.
The town of Idyllwild, the community of Mountain Center, and the areas of Apple Canyon, Hurkey Creek and Lake Hemet are under evacuation orders. Evacuation orders are no longer in effect for Fern Valley and Pine Cove.
A video posted by Twitter user Captain Woody shows massive amounts of smoke rising from the San Jacinto Mountains as an airplane drops retardant on the fire.
“From Pine Cove. Packing up,” he wrote.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory.
The fire is about 15 miles southwest of Palm Springs and 35 miles southeast of Riverside.
The area around Idyllwild was the site of a massive wildfire in July 2013 that burned more than 27,000 acres.
