A wildfire is burning out of control in Southern California's San Bernardino County, having blazed through well over 7,000 acres of land since it sparked around noon on Sunday Aug. 7, between Pilot Rock Ridge and State Hwy 173 in Hesperia, Calif.

According to the most recent update from InciWeb, the Pilot Fire measured in at 7,736 acres as of Tuesday Aug. 9 at approximately 10:00 p.m. PST. Over 1,000 firemen, fire officials and other related personnel have been dispatched to battle the blaze, which is currently only six percent contained.

While the official incident description refers to this fast-spreading inferno as "Wildfire On The San Bernardino National Forest," authorities have pinpointed the location of the fire as "near Hesperia, Deer Lodge ark, Lake Arrowhead and Silverwood Lake Recreation Area." 

While the cause of the fire is still under official investigation, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Bob Poole assures residents that firefighters have been working hard over the past few days to build fire containment lines and to keep flames at bay, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"Because the vegetation is so incredibly dry, all it takes is a little spark and it's just been chewing through it," Poole said. "That's been our difficulty."

EVACUATIONS

With 5,300 structures currently under threat from this wildfire, authorities have issued both mandatory and voluntary evacuations throughout many nearby communities, as well as school closures (due to smoke advisories warning of unhealthy air qualities), road closures and trail closures.

However, a number of shelters have been set up to accommodate evacuees as well as their pets (both large and small animals are assured shelter).

Beginning with mandatory orders, the entire community of Deer Lodge Park has been evacuated. Also included in this order is Aleutian Drive, Klondike Drive, Evergreen Lane, Yukon Drive, and Hwy 173 north and south from Hwy 138 to Arrowhead Lake Road.

"Because of the aggressive attack by our firefighters, we were able to protect homes," Poole said. "These guys - they're highly trained, they're highly motivated and they're doing an incredible job in difficult conditions."

However, as a precaution fire officials have suggested residents in the affected areas of Hesperia and Lake Arrowhead take into consideration the following voluntary evacuation orders:

In Hisperia, areas east of the Mojave River and south of Rock Springs Road to Kiowa Road, areas east of Santa Fe Road, south of Ranchero Road to Arrowhead Lake Road and north of the Spillway are included in the voluntary evacuation order. Also under this order are Lake Arrowhead residents living in the community of Grass Valley Lake as well as in the area north of Peninsula and North Bay Roads to Hwy 173, and south of Hwy 173 from North Bay Road to Grass Valley Road.

ADVISORIES & CANCELLATIONS

Both the South Coast and Mojave Desert Air Quality Management Districts have issued smoke advisories for much of the area surrounding the fire. As such, a number of area school districts have cancelled classes on Wednesday Aug. 10 for health and safety reasons. Among them are the Apple Valley United School District, the Hesperia Unified School District, and the Oro Grande Unified School District.

Apple Valley posted the following message on it's official website late Tuesday afternoon:

"Schools will remain closed on Wednesday, August 10, as we anticipate a similar weather pattern for tomorrow.  The prevailing winds and the behavior of the Pilot Fire leaves many Apple Valley Unified district schools with unhealthful air quality in the afternoon.  Therefore, schools will remain closed for another day on Wednesday, August 10.  

The weather forecast is calling for reduced wind on Thursday and Friday. We plan to resume school on Thursday, August 11 with an early release schedule. The district has procured sufficient face masks for all students for both Thursday and Friday.  Please monitor the website for further updates."

Officials are asking parents to check in with the appropriate school district websites in order to obtain additional information on this week's school closures and planned re-openings.

SHELTERS

Local residents who are under evacuation orders or who have been otherwise displaced by the Pilot Fire may opt to stay at one of two shelters that will remain open for the duration of this incident. The American Red Cross Reception and Care Center shelter has been opened at the Oaks Hills High School, located at 7625 Cataba Road in Hesperia, Calif. A second American Red Cross Reception and Care Center will be open at Rim Of The World High School, located at 27400 California 18 in Twin Peaks, Calif.

For displaced residents who own animals, two shelters have been opened in nearby communities to temporarily house both large and small pets. The Devore Animal Shelter, located at 19777 Shelter Way in San Bernardino will take in small animals. Larger animals can be boarded at the Victorville Fairgrounds, located at 14800 Seventh Street in Victorville, Calif. Authorities ask that all calls regarding animal control inquiries related to the Pilot Fire should be directed to the County Animal Care & Control at (800) 472-5609.

ROAD CLOSURES

For residents in both the affected and nearby communities who expect to be driving in the vicinity of the Pilot Fire, the following is a complete list of road closures, as of Aug. 9 at 10:00 p.m. PST:

- Hwy 173 is closed from the 138 to the forest gate

- Hwy 173 is closed at Grass Valley

- Arrowhead Lake Road is closed at Rock Springs Road

- Deep Creek Road is closed at Rock Springs Road

- Rock Springs Road is closed at Arrowhead Lake Road

- Grass Valley Road is closed at Brentwood

- Forest Roads 2N33, 2N17X, 2N36 and 2N37 remain closed

- Miller Canyon OHV Area remains closed (soft closure - residents only with identification)

FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS & FUNDING

There are currently 1,475 firefighting personnel assigned to battle the Pilot blaze. Included among the resources allocated to the wildfire fight at this time are 98 fire engines, 14 water tenders, one helicopter, 41 hand crews and 14 dozers.

Responding to this wildfire situation are a number of cooperating agencies. They include: the California Highway Patrol; California Office of Emergency Services; San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Service; Bureau of Land Management; CALTRANS; San Bernardino County Animal Control; American Red Cross; and Southern California Edison.

Press-Enterprise reports that the United States Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has already authorized the use of federal funds to aid firefighters in their efforts against the Pilot wildfire. 

According to FEMA, California authorities submitted on Monday a request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant declaration for the Pilot Fire. The federal agency issued a statement upon immediate approval of Monday's request, detailing its determination that this fire has potential to cause destruction to such an extent that it would constitute a major disaster.

"At the time of the request, the fire was threatening 750 homes in and around the communities of Hesperia, Deer Park Lodge, and Summit Valley," the statement read.

According to a San Bernardino county fire spokesperson, the federal fire management grant will cover 75 percent of the cost to fight (single or cumulative) fires relating to the Pilot Fire, through federally-allocated dollars. The remaining 25 percent of the firefighting cost will be paid by state agencies.

PILOT FIRE UPDATES

Please check back with us at LatinPost.com in the coming days for out continued coverage on the Pilot wildfire. We will be sure to make any and all new information available to our readers as soon as it becomes public.