LOS ANGELES _ A fast-moving fire swept toward the mountain community of Idyllwild on Wednesday, burning 3,000 acres and several homes and threatening hundreds of others.
The Cranston fire began about noon and spread rapidly, San Bernardino National Forest officials said. It has forced evacuations and is sending a massive tower of smoke rising over the San Jacinto Mountains.
A suspect is in custody on suspicion of igniting the blaze.
Witnesses described a vehicle possibly involved in starting the fire to authorities, California Highway Patrol spokesman Darren Meyer said. Authorities spotted a vehicle matching the description at about 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Newport and State roads south of Hemet. Hemet police officers pulled the vehicle over for an enforcement stop, Meyer said.
The driver was ultimately taken into custody on suspicion of arson, Meyer said.
Authorities said hundreds of homes are potentially threatened by the flames and that an evacuation center has been set up at Banning High School.
Mandatory evacuations were expanded to include residents in Idyllwild, Pine Cove, Fern Valley, McGaugh Road and McCall Park Road.
"Leave immediately," forest officials urged in a tweet.
Roads are closed at Highway 74 from Cranston Fire Station to Lake Hemet and Highway 243 between Pine Cove and Mountain Center.
The fire broke out on a day of extreme heat across Southern California and as the deadly Ferguson fire continued to rage west of Yosemite.
The Ferguson fire grew to 38,000 acres as of Wednesday and was 25 percent contained. At its closest point, the fire is two miles from the park, Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said.
Visitors were given until noon to evacuate Yosemite Valley, the heart of the 1,200-square-mile park. Officials have also closed Highway 41, the north-south artery that carries travelers from Southern California to Yosemite, and Glacier Point Road.
A stream of cars, campers and trailers flowed out of the park in the morning as the blaze inched closer. Heavy smoke from the blaze has blanketed the valley and created air quality conditions worse than in Beijing, China's heavily polluted capital, Gediman said.
"With this hot, dry weather pattern, you just got the smoke sitting here," he said. "The air quality fluctuates throughout the day but it's really poor midday _ noon to 6 p.m."
The blistering weather comes courtesy of a "heat dome" that settled over the desert Southwest this week and has shifted gradually toward Southern California. Though the coasts have been relatively cooler than inland areas, humid conditions have helped equalize the misery.
The notoriously sweltering towns of Thermal, Palm Springs and Borrego all broke heat records Tuesday with temperatures reaching 122, 121 and 118 degrees, respectively. They were expected to reach similar temperatures Wednesday before seeing a slight decrease Thursday.
