UPDATE 8/20/17 @ 4:49 p.m. – The fire is now 100% contained at 545 acres.
UPDATE 8/19/17 @ 6:47 p.m. – The fire remains 545 acres and is now 98% contained.
UPDATE 8/18/17 @ 6:05 p.m. – The fire remains at 545 acres and is now 97% contained.
UPDATE 8/18/18 @ 8:22 a.m. – The fire remains 545 acres and is now 95% contained.
UPDATE 8/17/17 @ 6:40 p.m. – The fire remains 545 acres and is now 90% contained.
UPDATE 8/17/17 @ 7:45 a.m. – The fire remains 545 acres and is 85% contained.
UPDATE 8/16/17 @ 5:45 p.m. – The fire is 545 acres and 80% contained.
UPDATE 8/16/17 @ 7:45 a.m. – The fire remains at 540 acres and is now 50% contained.
UPDATE 8/15/17 @ 7:28 p.m. – The fire is 40% contained and remains 540 acres.

Mias Fire Summary

The Mias fire was reported around 3:45 pm on Monday, August 14th near the 10000 block of Mias Canyon Rd in Banning, California. Due to the abundance of medium and heavy vegetation in the area, the fire quickly spread to the southeast towards the Morongo Indian Reservation. By 4:45 pm the fire had already burned 50 acres but was not immediately threatening any homes or structures in the area. By Monday night the fire had grown to 540 acres and had destroyed a small chapel on a private ranch. Firefighters from Riverside County, the Mongo Fire Department, and the U.S. Forest Service were coordinating efforts to combat the blaze. In total, 278 ground personnel, seven fixed-wing aircraft, three water-helo’s, and three bulldozers were assigned to the Mias fire and had achieved 5% containment by 7:30 pm Monday night. Investigators determined that the fire, bizarrely started when a tree branch fell onto a power line. The branch was weakened due to an active bee hive that was inside of the tree.

Mias Fire RZDashboard

Quick Look at the Mias Fire in RedZone’s Dashboard

Mias Fire Outlook

Due to the fire’s location, smoke impacts will affect the local area and move into Coachella Valley through tomorrow morning. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for the unhealthy air quality expected. Otherwise, fire officials are fairly confident that the fire will be fully contained by Thursday with small areas still burning today and crews in mop up and contain mode for the remainder of the fire’s tenure.

Mias Fire Facts

 

Sources: Riverside County Fire, CALFIRE incidents, KESQ

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