Crews contain wildland fire near Pine Flat Lake

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- CAL FIRE crews are busy in eastern Fresno County working to snuff out the flames of the Slope Fire.

The wildland fire broke out around 3:00 pm on Memorial Day. Crews worked into the night to prevent it from growing larger.

When it started, the flames were threatening structures near Sunnyslope Road and Trimmer Springs Road near Pine Flat Lake, according to CAL FIRE.

Crews brought in aircraft, including their new Sikorsky S-70i helicopter, to quickly stop progress at 30 acres.

Crews are still assessing to see if there were any damages to homes or structures.

Fire officials say the many visitors at the lake and heat did pose challenges, and some homeowners were forced to evacuate.

Visitors at the lake say the fire spread quickly, but crews were able to stop the spread.

"One minute it was this big and we were all watching. And then it was the whole mountainside," said one visitor, Skylar Brown.

Firefighters had the blaze 70% contained by late Tuesday night.