Silver fire: No containment after night of steady winds

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A DC-10 tanker drops retardant ahead of the fire line on the mountains above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon as the 16,000-acre Silver fire in Riverside County continues to burn. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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An inmate fire crew from Northern California awaits orders in Snow Creek Village near Cabazon before scaling the mountain in the background. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow Creek Village resident Keith Jackson rakes up the debris after firefighters cleared the combustible vegetation around his home. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Inmate fire crews are led to the front lines by a Cal Fire captain above Snow Creek Village near Cabazon. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire burns east toward wind turbines and a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A tree burns amid scorched property along Highway 243 in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Property, buildings and machinery lie in ruin along Twin Pines Road in Riverside County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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At sunset, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter hand crews from Miramonte knock down part of the Silver fire. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter from Miramonte sports a smile after fighting the blaze in an area along Highway 243. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The fast-moving Silver fire pushes east toward a view of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The Silver fire that has scorched more than 10,000 acres in Riverside County rages east toward wind turbines and the desert. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighter keeps a close eye on swirling embers while battling the Silver fire. The fire had destroyed at least 12 structures Wednesday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters work into the night to try to control the Silver fire, which has burned more than the 6,000 acres and forced the evacuations of communities near Poppet Flats, south of Banning, on Wednesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn close to Highway 243 south of Banning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flames from the Silver fire burn into the evening as crews try to get a handle on the blaze that has forced the evacuation of several communities. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

By Jason Wells

Aug. 8, 2013 3:58 AM PT

The fast-moving Silver fire that has scorched more than 6,000 acres, injured three people and forced hundreds of evacuations in Riverside County on Wednesday continued to rage east toward the desert as officials prepared to assess the early-morning landscape.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said that as of early Thursday morning, the fire was 0% contained and had destroyed or damaged 15 structures near Banning, although it was not immediately clear how many of those were homes.

Of the people injured, two were firefighters, the other a civilian who was airlifted to a hospital. The extent of their injuries could not immediately be determined.

The fire began about 2 p.m. around Poppet Flats Road near Highway 243, south of Banning.

The fire spread so quickly that some residents were told to “shelter in place” earlier in the day until they could safely evacuate, said Capt. Lucas Spelman of Cal Fire.

The blaze was driven by winds out of the west overnight, Berlant said early Thursday. “The wind has been very steady ... all night and into the early morning,” he said.

About 600 homes remained threatened within mandatory evacuation zones that were expanded to include Peach Street, Plum Street and Eucalyptus Street, as well as Riza Avenue, Ida Avenue and Helen Avenue east to Elm Street.

Mandatory evacuation orders remained in place for the communities of Poppet Flats, Twin Pines and Silent Valley.

Evacuation centers were set up at Hemet High School and Beaumont High School. An emergency animal shelter was opened at San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus.

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jason.wells@latimes.com

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