Week-old Vista Fire at 2,935 acres, nearly half contained

The nearly week-old Vista Fire south of Lytle Creek has reached nearly 2,936 acres, with 47% containment and 632 personnel working to contain the blaze.

Heading into Monday, the San Bernardino County National Forest reported 416 structures threatened by the fire being attacked by crews on the ground and air.

The Vista Fire was first reported on the morning of July 7 in the forest between Lytle Creek and the Mt. Baldy Ski Resort. The cause remained under investigation.

On Monday, hotter and drier conditions are expected to persist over the fire, with slightly lighter winds compared to yesterday and no anticipated thunderstorm development.

“Although the fire is not doing a lot of movement, there are a lot of moving parts. We have new equipment out there doing great suppression repair work," Incident Commander trainee Nic Elmquist said. “A hotshot crew is spending the night in a rugged part of Cucamonga Wilderness and will be putting in a handline while minimizing impacts to the natural environment.”

Firefighters will focus on patrols, mop-up operations, and improving containment lines throughout the fire area.

Additionally, one crew will be inserted into the Cucamonga Wilderness via helicopter. This crew will be self-sustained for 24 hours in the wilderness, tasked with constructing fire lines to prevent the fire from spreading southward.

The firefighter crews who worked overnight on the fire have completed their final shift and will now transition to daytime operations. The hard work and dedication of the night crews were paramount in achieving and maintaining containment and halting the fire's advance during nighttime.

Closures, evacuations, restrictions

The forest service has an area closure in effect on the San Bernardino and the Angeles National Forest. The public is prohibited from recreating in the fire area and should not enter the forest on Lytle Creek Road. The closure is in effect to protect firefighter personnel and communities.

More information about the closure order is available on the national forest websites at fs.usda.gov/alerts/sbnf/alerts-notices and fs.usda.gov/alerts/angeles/alerts-notices .

Lytle Creek Road is closed to the general public including all recreation areas north of Glen Helen Parkway. There are also no evacuations.

In an effort to quickly communicate information on impending dangers, the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department and San Bernardino County Fire Department send high-speed mass notifications via telephone and text messages. This system is known as the Telephone Emergency Notification System.

The San Bernardino National Forest has implemented increased fire restrictions. Campfires are restricted to those developed areas listed in the Forest Order .

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Week-old Vista Fire at 2,935 acres, nearly half contained