by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com

The Vista Fire is no longer a threat to Mt. Baldy Resort and was 31% contained as of 10:20 a.m. Saturday.

“With that black line,” a trench dug to bare mineral soil to cut a line between the unburned fuel and the fuel that’s burning, “we knocked that threat out. There is fire still burning to the east of it, and we’re inserting Hot Shot crews to work on those hot spots now,” U.S. Forest Service Spokesperson Nathan Judy said at 10:15 a.m. Saturday.

Judy said fire officials had been waiting before issuing any announcement of containment until the “black lines” they had cut were tested, including at the Backbone Trail in Mt. Baldy. “The fire held on the Backbone Trail,” Judy said. “We got some good black on that. We also got some good black on the southeast portion of the fire. So those flanks are holding.”

The fire, which has been burning since Sunday in the San Bernardino National Forest between Lytle Creek and Mt. Baldy Resort, had consumed 2,887 acres as of Saturday morning.

Judy said the suddenly humid, wet weather — with thunderstorms expected through Sunday afternoon — has helped firefighters thus far, but things could change.

“We’re waiting for the weather system to test those lines,” Judy said. “We are asking our firefighters to keep their heads on a swivel because what also happens is the wind shifts with thunderstorms; they can push wind either direction. So we have to be very cautious and be aware of which way the wind is blowing because it can change at any second.”

Due to the uncertainty, fire officials signed an order Friday closing all recreation in the Mt. Baldy and Lytle Creek areas until further notice, Judy said. “All recreation areas are all closed: picnic areas, trails, folks just can’t do that,” Judy said. The order is in effect through October 31. “But once the fire is out, we will reevaluate it,” Judy added.

The fire has slowed, thanks to the work of the now 724 firefighters on the scene, and with an assist from the recent mild weather and light winds. It grew from 588 acres Sunday to 1,095 on Monday, more than doubled in size to 2,354 acres on Wednesday, by Thursday was at 2,700 acres, but has only gained 187 acres since then.

The blaze began Sunday above Lytle Creek. The cause is still under investigation. “We don’t guess,” Judy said when asked about the source of the blaze.

No injuries to firefighters or civilians had been reported as of press time. And though no structures had been damaged or destroyed.

The Vista Fire also created harmful air pollution in Claremont and surrounding communities, with the Air Quality Index in the city reaching 206 — or “very unhealthy” — at 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to airnow.gov. The only AQI level above very unhealthy is “hazardous.”

For the latest updates on the fire, Judy recommended visiting the federal incident information management system website, inciweb.wildfire.gov, or the San Bernardino National Forest Facebook page at facebook.com/sanbernardinonf. For air quality information, go to airnow.gov.