For Details on ALL fires affecting Southern California CLICK HERE.
Line Fire Evacuation Shelter information:
San Bernardino County Fairgrounds
Building 6
14800 7th Street
Victorville, CA 92395
Jessie Turner Health and Fitness Community Center
15556 Summit Ave
Fontana, CA 92636
Animal Evacuation Center
Devore Animal Shelter (Large and Small Animals)
19777 Shelter Way
San Bernardino, CA 92407
909-386 9820 800-472-5609 (after hours)
(AP) – California is not only heading into the teeth of the wildfire season, but already has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023.
Evacuation orders were expanded Tuesday night in Southern California as the fires grew and included parts of the popular ski town of Big Bear. Some 65,600 homes and buildings were under threat by the Line Fire, including those under mandatory evacuations and those under evacuation warnings, nearly double the number from the previous day.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday that a Norco man suspected of starting the Line Fire in Highland on Sept. 5 had been arrested and charged with arson. He was held in lieu of $80,000 bail.
Residents along the southern edge of Big Bear Lake were told to leave the area, which is a popular destination for anglers, bikers and hikers. As of late Tuesday, the blaze had charred more than 54 square miles (140 square kilometers) of grass and brush with 14% containment, according to CalFire. It blanketed the area with a thick cloud of dark smoke.
The fire impacted key radio towers, including communication channels for those responding to the fire. Cooler weather could moderate fire activity toward the end of the week, CalFire said in an update. Public safety power shutoffs were anticipated in parts of the Big Bear and Bear Valley areas.
The acrid air prompted several districts in the area to close schools through the end of the week because of safety concerns. Three firefighters have been injured since the blaze was reported Thursday, state fire managers said.
For Wrightwood, a picturesque town 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Los Angeles known for its 1930s cabins. threatening wildfires have become a regular part of life. Authorities expressed frustration in 2016 when only half the residents heeded orders to leave.
Janice Quick, the president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce, lives a few miles outside town. Late Tuesday afternoon she was eating lunch outside with friends and they were rained on by embers the size of her thumbnail that hit the table and made a clinking sound.
A friend texted to tell her that the friend’s home had been consumed by fire, while another friend was watching through her ring camera as embers rained down on her home.
“I’ve never seen anything like this and I’ve been through fires before,” said Quick, who has lived in Wrightwood for 45 years.
Evacuation Orders
An immediate threat to life. This is an order by law enforcement to leave immediately. The area is lawfully closed to public access.
- The area east of Orchard Road to Cloverhill Drive from Highland Ave north to the foothills
- All undeveloped land east of Hwy 330 to Summertrail Place and north of Highland Avenue
- Communities of Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake
- The community of Forrest Falls
- The community of Mountain Home Village
- The communities of Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks and all campgrounds and cabins in the area
- The areas north and east of Highland Avenue and Palm Avenue
- Green Valley Lake north from Highway 18 along Green Valley Lake Road
- Big Bear from the dam east to Wildrose Lane and the south shoreline south to Bluff Lake Basin
Evacuation Warnings
A potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately.
- From Calle Del Rio east to Highway 38 and from Greenspot Road north to the foothills
- From 210 freeway east to the foothills and from Greenspot road north to the foothills
- The community of Green Valley Lake north from Highway 18 along Green Valley Lake Road
- The communities of Cedar Glen, Lake Arrowhead, Twin Peaks, Crestline, and Valley of Enchantment
- The area from Garnet Street east to Bryant Street and Carter Street north to Mill Creek
- The area of Big Bear Valley from the dam to Cactus Road
- Garnett Street east to Highway 38 and Mill Creek north to the foothills
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