Cranston fire near Idyllwild

An Orange County firefighter douses hotspots along the road above Highway 74 while battling the Cranston Fire in Idyllwild.

The Cranston fire has burned more than 11,500 acres in Idyllwild and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. Above a burned car on McCall Park Road in Mountain Center.

A helicopter drops a load of water as the air assault on the Cranston fire continues in Garner Valley in Lake Hemet, Calif.

Former firefighter Josh Whitney was able to save his McCall Road house, but the wildfire destroyed his lumber and sawing machines in an adjacent lot.

Firefighters extinguish hot spots along Highway 74 near Mountain Center.

The Cranston fire burns on a hillside off Highway 74 near Mountain Center.

Smoke lingers after the Cranston fire burned through an area off Apple Canyon Road near Mountain Center.

A plane drops fire retardant as seen from Highway 74 near Mountain Center.

The Cranston fire burns Thursday near Mountain Center.

The Cranston fire burns off Apple Canyon Road near Mountain Center and Lake Hemet on Thursday afternoon.

A Cal Fire inmate crew captain cleans the windshield of his crew’s buggy after it was hit with flame retardant from an air tanker drop Thursday afternoon in Mountain Center.

Riverside County firefighters extinguish hot spots in the Cranston fire off Highway 74 near Mountain Center.

A road sign near Mountain Center lies on the ground after its wood support beams were destroyed in the Cranston fire.

Hand crews march to fight the Cranston fire raging along Highway 74 in Mountain Center.

Steve and Suzanne Coffer hug in the driveway of their fire-retardent covered home that was saved from the brush fire. The Coffers have lived in Idyllwild for 40 years.

The Cranston fire rages near Mountain Center, viewed from Highway 74.

A helicopter makes a water drop on the Cranston fire raging along Highway 74 in Mountain Center.

A firefighter takes care of a hot spot surrounding a burned structure on Deer Foot Lane in Idyllwild.

Structures on Deer Foot Lane burned by the fast-moving Cranston fire near Idyllwild.

Structures on Deer Foot Lane burned by the fast moving Cranston fire in Idyllwild.

Structures on Deer Foot Lane burned by the fast moving Cranston fire in Idyllwild.

The Cranston fire burns late Wednesday evening off Highway 243 near Idyllwild.

An Orange County Fire Authority firefighter hoses down a smoldering tree near homes off Marian View Drive in Idyllwild.

A structure destroyed by the Cranston fire smolders under a nearly full moon early Thursday morning.

Outbuildings and industrial equipment burn off McCall Park Road near Mountain Center early Thursday morning.

An Orange County Fire Authority firefighter hoses down a smoldering tree in Idyllwild late Wednesday evening as the Cranston fire burns nearby.

The Cranston fire burns late Wednesday evening near Idyllwild off Highway 243.

A fire crew keeps an eye on the Cranston fire near the town of Idyllwild in the San Bernardino National Forest. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for Idyllwild, Pine Cove, Fern Valley and other areas.

The Cranston fire burns off Highway 74 near Idyllwild, forcing evacuations.

A house is covered in pink fire retardant as the Cranston fire burns near the town of Idyllwild. The fire broke out on a day of extreme heat across Southern California.

A smoky haze fills the landscape in Idyllwild. The Cranston fire began about noon and spread rapidly, San Bernardino National Forest officials said.