Silver fire: Firefighters make headway, but more evacuations ordered

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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 and Jason Wells

Aug. 8, 2013 10:51 AM PT

Firefighters battling the raging Silver fire in Riverside County hit 10% containment Thursday morning, even as officials called for additional evacuations.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said fire crews were able to gain ground as winds pushed the fire line east of Banning and toward Cabazon.

Meanwhile, Berlant said, two additional firefighters suffered “minor to moderate” injuries while battling the wind-driven blaze, bringing the total number of injured crew members to four.

The fire has so far burned through 10,000 acres and damaged or destroyed at least 15 structures, although officials could not confirm how many of those were homes.

The condition of a civilian who suffered serious burns as the fire spread out of control Wednesday could not be confirmed.

Jeff Larusso with the Riverside County Fire Department did not identify the victim or elaborate on the extent of injuries, saying only that they occurred “early on” in the fire. The burn victim was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, he added.

The Silver fire broke out around 2 p.m. Wednesday and soon exploded into an uncontrolled blaze that moved quickly around Banning, sending more than 1,500 residents in mandatory evacuation zones fleeing.

Some of them were forced to “shelter in place” after the fire cut off exit paths.

Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for Vista Grande, Mt. Edna, Poppet Flats, Silent Valley, Twin Pines and portions of Cabazon. Evacuations were extended Thursday morning to Black Mountain and nearby campgrounds.

California 243 near Poppet Flats also remains closed.

Berlant said fire incident commanders would continue to monitor the movement of the blaze to determine if more evacuation orders should be given.

Meanwhile, officials said they were focusing firefighting efforts -- including a heavy air attack -- on keeping the fire line away from more dense forest areas where there would be more fuel to burn.

“Basically, our priority today is keeping [the fire] off San Bernardino National Forest,” Larusso said. “As of right now, we’re not into the heavy dense fuels, we’re not seeing the type of timber fuels that burn hotter.”

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