Southern California fire officials say the wildfire burning through the San Bernardino National Forest was sparked by a vehicle tailpipe. Officials are working to locate the vehicle and driver.
The Apple fire has burned some 42 square miles of the rugged landscape and there are still homes at risk.
“One fortunate part about that is that it is moving away from the residences,” said Thomas Shoots of CalFire San Diego. “We have some communities out in front of it, which we are concerned about. But we’ve stacked those areas with resources to make sure that they’re protected.”
Up to 7,000 people were asked to evacuate in the early stages of the fire.
RELATED: Vehicle Malfunction Sparked Riverside County Wildfire
Fifteen San Diego firetrucks were called into duty to help fight the fire, according to Shoots.
Local hand crews, bulldozers and aircraft are also part of the effort.
“We’re able to bring on extra operators and staff up equipment without it being to huge burden to us,” Shoots said. “And we can actually have quite a bit more equipment out without it being a huge concern. We also have some of our bulldozers out from San Diego. We have hand crews and then overhead positions as well so we’re doing what we can to help out in this firefight.”
It is not clear how long it will be before crews get the wildfire completely under control.
This is the biggest wildfire in Southern California this season.
