Making a stand at the county line

Flames from the Santiago fire are within a mile of the Riverside County line, and fire officials hope to restrain it there, fire information officer Larry Tunforss reported at 9:45 a.m. "That's where we're trying to build a line and hold it there."

Specialized crews are guarding the communications towers atop Santiago Peak and Modjeska Peak, and fire retardant has been spread in a 2-1/2-mile radius around both towers in hopes of saving them, Tunforss said.

The towers are linchpins for communications in the area, he said. "You've got a lot of radio stations, television stations. You've got a lot of cell towers."

-- Deborah Schoch