Additional prescribed burning planned around Idyllwild

IDYLLWILD (CNS) - U.S. Forest Service fire crews will resume a series of controlled burns in the San Bernardino National Forest around Idyllwild this week to reduce excess vegetation that might otherwise fuel wildfires. Operations began last week on calm days, and USFS officials said that as long as winds remain nominal, additional prescribed burns are planned each day, focusing mostly on the Cranston burn scar in the San Jacinto Mountains. Motorists, visitors to the area and residents are advised not to be alarmed by the smoke columns south of Idyllwild and north of Mountain Center. Nearly 1,300 acres are targeted for reduction on the Riverside County side of the 676,000-acre San Bernardino National Forest. USFS officials said that, with the onset of winter weather, conditions are gen