This photo provided by CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit Public Information Office shows smoke from a blaze that erupted Feb. 16, 2022, near Eastern Sierra Regional Airport just outside the town of Bishop in the Owens Valley, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
A wildfire continued to burn actively Thursday in eastern California's remote Owens Valley but firefighters had so far kept it from harming small communities, authorities said.
Dubbed the Airport Fire, the blaze was estimated to have scorched more than 4 square miles and was a threat to 150 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire erupted Wednesday near Eastern Sierra Regional Airport outside the town of Bishop and winds drove it south toward the town of Big Pine, where evacuations were ordered for the east side of the community.
"Firefighters are actively engaged in perimeter control and structure defense," a Cal Fire statement said. "Winds have remained steady and will continue at 10-15 mph out of the northwest."
The Owens Valley Radio Observatory and the White Mountain Research Center were among the structures being protected.
Bishop, population 3,800, is about 15 miles north of Big Pine, home to about 1,700 people in Inyo County. The arid valley lies thousands of feet below the peaks of the Sierra Nevada to the west.
More than 430 personnel, 66 engines, six air tankers and a helicopter were assigned to the fire, which remained under investigation.
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