Crews stop 30-acre wildfire near Cal State San Bernardino from growing

A new fire broke out Sunday night in the hills above Cal State San Bernardino, spreading rapidly as erratic Santa Ana winds whipped through the area, officials said.

The wind-driven blaze was reported about 8 p.m. above the 5500 block of University Parkway and quickly grew from 3 to 30 acres, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Fire crews were putting engines in place to protect buildings. But by about 9:40 p.m., officials said, crews had stopped the blaze from growing and mitigated the threat to structures.

The blaze erupted as thousands of firefighters across the state are battling three large wildfires that have ravaged nearly 200,000 acres and claimed the lives of 31 people.

The deadly Woolsey fire straddling Ventura and Los Angeles counties has charred 85,550 acres and killed two people. By Sunday night, it was 15% contained.

In Northern California, the death toll from the Camp fire in Butte County has risen to 29, with six new bodies recovered Sunday, officials said.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

UPDATES:

10:05 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect that progress of the fire was stopped.

This article was originally published at 9:15 p.m.