Cal State San Bernardino and Shandin Hills Middle School were closed on Tuesday.
Firefighters used favorable conditions Tuesday morning to intentionally set a controlled burn, removing much of the fuel above local homes.
The fire off Little Mountain Road was reported early Tuesday morning and came dangerously close to residential homes.
Firefighters had been battling a brush fire along Interstate 215 that threw up sparks, setting buildings on fire blocks away in the city of San Bernardino. The freeway was closed in both directions for the second time Monday and remained closed Tuesday morning.
In other areas, the winds were whipping. In Fontana, it was a rocky ride for a number of palm trees, power lines, trash cans, traffic signs and basketball hoops.
An empty semi truck heading up I-15 on Tuesday overturned due to the high winds.
"It's been pretty windy. About 3-4 in the morning, I get up sometimes and it's woofing. It's tough out there," said Luther Acker, a Fontana resident.
Luther was picking up trash near his Sierra Lakes home Tuesday afternoon. There was no sign of fire around, but he remembers a recent blaze that surrounded his neighborhood.
"The whole back of the area right here was on fire. And then it came around to the front. And, the helicopters were coming in. But, we haven't had any problems since then in this area with fire," said Acker. "But I'm worried about some fire up in the Little Mountain area. And, like I was saying, we work out up there. We go up there and we put in some miles - me and my boys. And, we enjoy working in that area. And, we're sorry to hear about the people that were endangered ... being caught in the fire."
Winds knocked down some power lines in Fontana and San Bernardino, which caused a few hundred customers to lose power. Many may not have power until later Tuesday evening. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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