March 31--Firefighters are battling a brush fire in a High Desert park that has burned 60 acres, and nearby residents have been ordered to evacuate, authorities said.
A large column of smoke was reported in the Mojave Narrows Park -- on the border between Apple Valley and Victorville -- about 12 p.m., according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
Within an hour, the 2-acre blaze grew to 60 acres, and structures around Riverside Drive and Seneca Road were threatened by the flames, officials said.
About 2:30 p.m., fire officials imposed mandatory evacuation orders for all of Riverside Drive, a nearly 2-mile road that has several dozen homes.
Fire crews were contending with heavy winds that shifted the direction of the blaze, officials said.
A shelter for evacuated Apple Valley residents was set up at Sitting Bull Middle School in the 19400 block of Sitting Bull Road, town officials announced.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
