Summit Fire smoke visible in Coachella Valley

Smoke is now showing near the Snow Summit Ski Resort just south of Big Bear Lake.

The Summit Fire broke out near Pine Knot Avenue and Knickerbocker Road around 12:30 p.m. Less than an hour later had already scorched 10 acres, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. The fire is burning through a combination of tinder and brush, and flames are “burning with a moderate rate of spread in moderate to heavy fuels”, according to the government’s InciWeb information system.

Forest Roads 2N06 (Radford), 1N54 (Clarks Grade), 2N93 (Wildhorse) have been closed, according to inciweb. Between 400 and 500 homes are being threatened by the blaze, according to fire officials. As of 2:23 p.m., the fire was about 20 to 25 acres in size, officials said.

Multiple fire agencies were responding to assist in the fire fight.

An evacuation center was set up at the Big Bear Convention Center located at the intersection of Big Bear Blvd. and Division Road. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.