1,800-Acre Blaze Near Yucca Valley Is Contained

A fire near the San Bernardino County community of Pioneertown was fully contained Sunday afternoon after burning about 1,800 acres of desert brush since Saturday, fire officials said.

Authorities called the fire, which burned at the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest, the first major blaze of the new fire season.

No major injuries or damage were reported, and the cause of the blaze is still being investigated, California Department of Forestry spokesman Mark Streck said Sunday.

The fire started about 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the outskirts of Pioneertown, a tourist stop and movie set for westerns. Pioneertown is in western San Bernardino County.

Authorities said a few local structures were briefly threatened by the blaze and some local residents were evacuated, but no civilians suffered injuries and no buildings were damaged. One firefighter suffered a minor eye injury while fighting the blaze.

More than 400 firefighters from several local, state and federal fire agencies were dispatched to the blaze, which was centered off Highway 62 near Yucca Valley.

Normal activity in Pioneertown resumed Sunday after weather conditions improved, Streck said. Winds died down over the weekend and humidity levels cooperated with the firefighting efforts, he said.

“This is the biggest fire of the year so far,” Streck said. “If people haven’t cleared a defensible space around [their] house, now is the time to do it.”