Cranston Fire: CA Governor has declared a state of emergency

As the Cranston Fire rages for a second day in the Southern California mountains, Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency.

In the declaration, Brown ordered California’s Office of Emergency Services to provide government assistance to Riverside County, according to ABC 7. There has also been a suspension of the customary one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance benefits for those unemployed as a result of the Cranston Fire.

The Cranston Fire burns late last night off Highway 243. The fire as of early this morning burned about 5,000 acres and as of 11am was already putting up a pyrocumulonimbus, which until yesterday I didn’t even know was a thing (compared to a pyrocumulus). The column reached 48,000 feet on radar. The suspected cause of the fire is still under investigation but early reports and an alleged suspect arrest point towards arson. Time will tell. Back on the fire tonight for the @latimes, image here also shot for them on assignment. Major drought impacted fuels, areas that haven’t burned in decades, and hot weather are leading to this fire behavior. Climate change is here. #cranstonfire #cafire #wildfire #usfs #calfire #bdf #idyllwild #longexposure #terraflamma #climate #drought #orange #documentary

A post shared by StuartPalley (@stuartpalley) on Jul 26, 2018 at 11:36am PDT

The fire has consumed more than 4,700 acres as of Thursday morning and has forced the evacuation of 3,200 people from 2,100 homes in Idyllwild, Lake Hemet, Mountain Center, and surrounding communities.

Last night and early this morning, our crew on the #cranstonfire went “direct” on the fire cutting fire line and plumbing hoseline. Today they are getting some much needed rest and will be back on the fire line tomorrow. The #cranstonfire is approximately 4,700 acres and 5% contained. #wildlandfire #wildlandfirefighter #OES #striketeam #striketeam1860A

A post shared by Laguna Beach Fire Department (@laguna_beach_fire_department) on Jul 26, 2018 at 10:58am PDT

Fire burns in the background of the Mountain Center town sign off Hwy 74 near Idyllwild CA tonight. #CranstonFire @gopro @nbcla

A post shared by Sean Browning (@shootsean) on Jul 25, 2018 at 10:36pm PDT

Wednesday afternoon, police arrested 32-year-old Brandon N. McGlover of Temecula on five counts for allegedly igniting several fires in Riverside County.

A second fire, dubbed The Ribbon Fire, broke out on Thursday near Pinyon Pines – which is close to the Cranston fire.

New fire erupts near #CranstonFire The plume of black smoke you see is the #RibbonFire burning off HWY 74 near the Pinyon Pines Community pic.twitter.com/8PE0JpclKO

— Stephanie Marroquin (@producerstephh) July 26, 2018

As of 12 pm, the Ribbon fire had consumed 15 acres.