BEAUMONT -- Battling gusting Santa Ana winds, fire crews today fought to try to contain the fast-moving Esperanza arson fire that has killed four firefighters.
Officials this morning released the names of the dead.
Killed were engine Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser, 44, of Idyllwild; engine operator Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont; assistant engine operator Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan; and firefighter Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, of San Jacinto.
A fifth firefighter was in critical condition this morning in Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. He was identified as Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley.
Cerda has burns over 90% of his body, severe lung injuries and was placed on life support. His chances of survival are considered poor.
At an afternoon news conference at Arrowhead, David T. Wong, chief of trauma, said Cerda has had some improvement in his "minute-to-minute condition," but the overall prognosis remains poor because of the severity of the burns.
Cerda may be sent to surgery later today to have the burned skin removed. Cerda remains under heavy sedation, Wong said.
The rough terrain in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County just west of Palm Springs posed difficult problems for firefighters trying to keep the blaze from the more populated areas, Janet M. Upton, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said today. Winds are expected to gust up to 45 mph and firefighters are facing a long day.
"It's mountain goat territory," Upton said.
The sharp winds are expected to continue until at least tonight, said Mike Giannini, battalion chief of the Marin County Fire Department, one of the agencies supplying some 1,750 firefighters.
"The next 36 hours are going to be key for this thing," he said.
Firefighters ignited a small backfire in Beaumont about half of a mile away from a school with 80 children with special needs. The children moved into the gymnasium but did not leave the building. The fire was started to ensure that the Esperanza fire did not leap to the school's grounds.
"Anytime we get winds blowing by we are worried, but we were all ready to go if necessary," said Lynn Elder, who handles community relations for the school, Child's Help, in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains.
The Esperanza fire was deliberately set Thursday about 1:12 a.m. in the San Gorgonio Wash. Fed by dry fuel and bitter winds, it has consumed more than 24,000 acres, according to the official website.
The fire is about 5% contained, with no indication when it will be fully controlled. The fire continues to move mainly to the west and southwest, being driven by east to northeast winds.
The fire is moving toward Highway 79, south of Interstate 10, threatening to push toward Idyllwild and San Jacinto this morning. It has destroyed 10 homes and another 500 homes and three commercial structures are threatened, according to the CDF.
The Air Quality Management District also warned that smoke from the Esperanza wildfire is expected to create unhealthful air quality conditions today in areas of Riverside and Orange counties.
Despite the loss of four of their own, firefighters this morning braced for their difficult day. At one camp here, firefighters rose from their tents and grabbed coffee. The about 200 to 300 firefighters were briefed about their assignments, which are detailed down to the specific roads and structures they are to protect.
The sun rose but the wind was already gusting so much that it sent swirling dust devils across the fields at the command post.
About 3 a.m., firefighters evacuated another 100 homes at the south end of Banning, near the foothills below Silent Valley. There were some gusts of wind during the night that sent the fire down toward Banning. The residents went to community centers and to friends' homes.
