Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

It’s fire time again.

A 75-acre wildfire has prompted the voluntary evacuation of people who live below the town of Crestline in the San Bernardino Mountains. The fire started around 1:30 PM on Monday and is only 10% contained. CNN iReports has a home video of smoke in the area.

The fire is burning a couple of miles below the town of Crestline near Highway 18, and authorities have urged, but not yet ordered, residents int the Waterman Canyon area (Google Map) to leave their homes. Although the houses are not yet threatened, the fire has caused the temporary closure of Highway 18, the most direct route from the Inland region to mountain resort towns.

Firefighting crews are attacking the fire from both air and ground, according to U.S. Forest Service fire officer Melody Lardner.

“We have engines, water tenders and hand crews, air tankers and helicopters on it,” Lardner said. “It is steep terrain and it is hot today; temperatures were close to 100 today, but it’s not high wind.”

The fire could burn up to 1,000 acres according to the Forest Service, and its cause is under investigation.

The fire was reported just hours after opening arguments began in the trial of Rickie Lee Fowler, the man suspected of igniting the Old Fire nearly 10 years ago in the San Bernardino Mountains. That wildfire grew to more than 90,000 acres, destroyed hundreds of homes and is believed to have led to the stress-related deaths of five people.

-Bill at

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