Officials fear Silver fire may burn deeper into San Bernardino forest

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A DC-10 tanker drops retardant ahead of the fire line on the mountains above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon as the 16,000-acre Silver fire in Riverside County continues to burn. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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An inmate fire crew from Northern California awaits orders in Snow Creek Village near Cabazon before scaling the mountain in the background. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow Creek Village resident Keith Jackson rakes up the debris after firefighters cleared the combustible vegetation around his home. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Inmate fire crews are led to the front lines by a Cal Fire captain above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire burns east toward wind turbines and a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A tree burns amid scorched property along Highway 243 in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Property, buildings and machinery lie in ruin along Twin Pines Road in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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At sunset, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter hand crews from Miramonte knock down part of the Silver fire. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter from Miramonte sports a smile after fighting the blaze in an area along Highway 243. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The fast-moving Silver fire pushes east toward a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire that has scorched more than 10,000 acres in Riverside County rages east toward wind turbines and the desert. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighter keeps a close eye on swirling embers while battling the Silver fire. The fire had destroyed at least 12 structures Wednesday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters work into the night to try to control the Silver fire, which has burned more than the 6,000 acres and forced the evacuations of communities near Poppet Flats, south of Banning, on Wednesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn close to Highway 243 south of Banning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn into the evening as crews try to get a handle on the blaze that has forced the evacuation of several communities. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

By Christine Mai-Duc

Aug. 9, 2013 8:44 AM PT

Fire officials laid out their plan of attack for battling the Silver fire Friday morning, focusing on the eastern edge of the fire as it burns toward Palm Springs and farther through the San Bernardino National Forest.

Conditions were calm Friday morning, but authorities cautioned that it could change as the day progresses.

“The fire behavior as of this morning looks like it is quite a bit calmer than it was yesterday,” said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Eric Solomon. “But with weather and wind and as the day heats up, that’s always subject to change.”

Solomon said one concern of fire officials is that the blaze could head south and burn farther into the San Bernardino National Forest. The north side of the narrow eastern finger of the fire, which burned Thursday into the night, is desert land, which contains less fuel for the fire to consume.

The winds have blown west to east the past couple days, a pattern that’s expected to continue Friday.

But Solomon said that could change Saturday, with a forecast of “variable winds” -- a dangerous prospect in firefights.

Fire officials urged firefighters to stay safe as they face steep, rocky terrain, citing firefighter deaths in the area in years past.

“Our profession means wanting to ensure that those lives lost were not in vain,” one fire official said.

The blaze’s fury brought back memories of the 2006 Esperanza fire, which consumed 40,200 acres and killed five firefighters in the same area.

The fire grew to 16,000 acres overnight, officials reported Friday. More than 1,400 firefighters had achieved 25% containment.

The Silver fire is the latest sign that 2013 is shaping up to be a particularly damaging wildfire season.

Record dry conditions have left hillsides and canyons like the ones south of Banning particularly susceptible to big burns. Roughly 80,000 acres across the state have burned so far this year, according to CalFire, about double last year’s total at this time.

The area near Banning, Palm Springs and Idyllwild has been especially hard-hit. State officials noted that several fires in that area have now burned with great intensity ahead of the fall, when Santa Ana winds typically cause the most concern about uncontrolled blazes.

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