SILVER FIRE CAUSE: 'Still Under Investigation' Two Months After Blaze Tore Through Poppet Flats, Twin Pines

The cause of the Silver Fire, which tore through Poppet Flats and Twin Pines two months ago, was "still under investigation" Tuesday, a Cal Fire battalion chief tells Banning-Beaumont Patch.

The Silver Fire was reported by multiple callers around 2:05 p.m. Aug. 7 near Poppet Flats. It destroyed 48 structures including 26 homes, scorched more than 31 square miles, resulted in 12 firefighter injuries and severely burned one civilian. An update on the man's condition was unavailable this week. The fire was declared 100 percent contained at 6 p.m. Aug. 12.

The after action report for the Silver Fire, released in September by Cal Fire's chief counsel in response to a records request by Banning-Beaumont Patch, offered the most detailed official account of the devastating blaze to date.

But the report shed no light on the cause of the fast-moving inferno. 

"There is no additional information on the Silver Fire cause as it is still under investigation," Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson said in an email Tuesday Oct. 8.

To read more about the Silver Fire and to access links to previous Banning-Beaumont Patch coverage see

SILVER FIRE: Initial Attack Resources Overwhelmed, After Action Report Offers Details, Cause Still Under Wraps