'What the heck is going on?': Several fires reported in the High Desert on July 4th

Firefighters on Fourth of July night responded to dozens of “vegetation” and “outdoor” fires across the High Desert.

San Bernardino County Fire, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Apple Valley Fire Protection District and Victorville Fire Department were flooded with calls for fire service from 8 p.m. to midnight Thursday.

While most of the fires were contained at10 acres or less, the sheer number of calls kept each fire agency busy, including Victorville Fire, which received nearly 35 fire calls in those hours, according to the PulsePoint app.

San Bernardino County Fire

Some of the larger fires on Thursday included:

• The Sonora Fire, which was reported at 9:53 p.m. near Palmdale Road/Highway 18 and Sonora Road in Phelan, according to Watch Duty. Initially reported as a 10-acre vegetation fire, Cal Fire revised the report at 11:38 p.m. to 5 acres with 0% containment.
• The Sunnyslope Fire was reported just after midnight near Sunnyslope and Sahara roads, according to Cal Fire, which stated a potential 5-acre spread and no structure threat. The fire was stopped before 12:30 a.m. Friday.
• The Daisy Fire was reported at 9:39 p.m. in the 3700 block of Daisy Lane in Phelan. The vegetation fire threatened at least one structure when it reached 8 acres by 10:12 p.m. The fire’s rate of speed was stopped nearly 40 minutes later.

Rayleen Frazier told the Daily Press that on Thursday night, she was driving on Phelan Road in Phelan when she saw “fire engines racing down” several roadways.

“I saw the fire over by the (Southern California) Edison power station, then somebody told me there was a fire north of Serrano High School,” Frazier said. “What the heck is going on?”

• The Rock Fire was reported at 11:13 p.m. on both sides of Hwy. 173, north between Lake Arrowhead and Deep Creek Hot Springs. The vegetation fire reached 1.5 acres before its progress was stopped at 1.5 acres near midnight, according to Cal Fire.

Victorville Fire Department

• The Cactus Fire was reported at 8 p.m. near Highway 395 and Cactus Road in Victorville. The vegetation fire spread to 1.5 acres and then held to 3 acres by 8:27 p.m. Multiple fire engines were used, along with a bulldozer.

• The Vegetation Fire was reported at 8:28 p.m. south of Pepperwood Street in Victorville. The fire spread to 4 acres with multiple structures threatened. The fire was held at 10:56 p.m.

The Apple Valley Fire Protection District, from 2:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, received nearly 13 calls for fire service, according to the PulsePoint app.

The cause of each fire is under investigation. There were no reports of injuries or damaged structures as of early Friday morning.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz