Posted on 10/23/2007 9:09:03 AM PDT by Smogger
Wildfires exploded across the Inland Empire and much of Southern California on Monday, destroying at least 138 structures locally and consuming hundreds more throughout this parched region that has endured the driest year on record.
Two major blazes, the Grass Valley Fire and the Slide Fire, urged on by Santa Ana winds gusting to 70 mph, charred nearly 2,000 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains. More fires burned in San Bernardino, Devore and Ontario.
No one died in the region, although firefighters suffered some minor injuries. Officials also had not determined how the two mountain fires started.
Plumes of acrid black and brown smoke filled the air. Highways shut down, many communities were evacuated and Paul Biane, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, instituted a curfew for evacuated mountain areas. It also led to warnings about air quality and the closure of some schools, including Cal State San Bernardino.
The blazes here and across Southern California, brought back painful memories of the Old Fire, which destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and structures in 2003.
This time, though, there was a difference from that conflagration. Million-dollar houses went up in smoke in Lake Arrowhead. More homes burned in Green Valley Lake, which went untouched in the previous blaze. "These are high-end mountain resort homes," said Mike Horton, San Bernardino County's deputy fire marshal. "If we lose as many structures as we did in the Old Fire, it will be more costly."
At least 14 fires burned in Southern California, said Patti Roberts, spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
From San Diego to Malibu, more than 150 miles up the Pacific Coast, more than 265,000 people were warned to leave their homes.
More than a quarter-million in San Diego County alone were told to flee. School buses and ambulances moved hundreds of patients from a hospital and nursing homes. Many of those evacuees were still in their hospital gowns and wheelchairs. Some carried their medical records in plastic bags.
"Make no mistake about it: we will mobilize every resource necessary to protect lives and property affected by this disaster," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who ordered 1,500 National Guardsmen to help, none of whom were expected to come to the Inland Empire.
"It's a smaller-scale 2003 event," said Richard Minnich, a professor of fire ecology at UC Riverside. "It's pretty much comparable in weather conditions, Santa Ana winds and the low humidity."
Minnich predicted temperatures would rise and humidity would stay dangerously low today as winds could lighten. In the coming days, fire behavior will be based as much on the combustibility of the drought-stricken vegetation as it was Monday on the erratic wind, he said.
Northeast winds are expected to blow 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 70 mph, with a high-wind warning in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday. Temperatures could reach 99 degrees.
Whipping desert winds on Monday made air attacks - so critical for slowing the advancing flames - nearly impossible. One flight got off in the morning and a tanker did what it could late in the afternoon as winds began to subside.
Minnich kept a particularly keen track on the blaze to see if the winds would push the mountain fire into the trees.
"My fear is that we are looking at a crown fire that is going to destroy the whole forest," Minnich said.
As darkness approached, fire officials confirmed that the blaze had reached the treetops in both mountain conflagrations. It was unclear what the long-term damage to the forest would be.
The blaze ignited shortly after 5 a.m., near Grass Valley Road and Aleutian Drive, taking off under the guidance of the wild, gusting winds.
Officials said it destroyed 113 homes while burning nearly 400 acres.
Later in the day, the fire had burned into homes in places like Country Club Estates, where at least a dozen homes were destroyed on the west side of Lake Arrowhead.
Flames shot from gas mains torn open along Brentwood Drive, hissing like angry snakes. Firefighters let them burn because extinguishing them could have let gas escape, increasing the danger, said Karl Von Oesen, a county fire prevention specialist.
At one point, a balcony patio broke off a home, crashing and tumbling down the hillside.
Horton and Von Oesen inspected the remnants of the abode, and spotted a pair of propane tanks sitting in a garage already in flames. They rushed inside, pulling them and a barbecue out.
"They're full, too," Von Oesen said.
After years of close calls, residents watched in horror as black plumes of smoke arose from the tree-covered community of Green Valley Lake. Many, if not all the plumes, indicated a home had caught fire.
"You hate to be pessimistic but we are not very hopeful this time," said Robert Andrews of Green Valley Lake. "This is the first one taking down structures.
The fire started around 8 a.m. in Green Valley Lake across from Deep Creek.
At 10:30 a.m., Dave Gordon stood with his stepson. Jamie Whitner, 15, about a quarter-mile outside of his hometown of Green Valley Lake.
"Flames were coming up right to the house when we left," Gordon said, estimating that they were about 100 feet from houses on Squirrel Drive, where his ex-wife lives.
"Get the cats and dogs, and let's go," Gordon told her.
His stepson grabbed some photos and clothes. Altogether, 25 homes were destroyed and 1,500 acres burned, officials said.
On Holcomb Creek Drive, at least six homes were lost.
"We're going to mop up and then move on to the next assignment," said Capt. Mike Olson of the Running Springs Fire Department. "The guys did a good job today. We originally thought we were going to lose the whole street."
Late Monday night, firefighters and police were evacuated from the Slide Fire area in Green Valley Lake because of the dangerous conditions.
By 6 p.m., a wildfire had burned an estimated 200 acres of hillside land west of the 215/15 interchange in Devore.
The Cajon Fire ignited at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, said Pam Bierce, a San Bernardino National Forest spokeswoman.
Firefighters estimated that 25 percent of the fire had been contained by sunset, Bierce said.
Fire officials believe the blaze may have been caused by downed or sparking power lines in the area.
At sunset, the fire was still burning in Sycamore Canyon, located directly southeast of Lytle Creek. If the fire jumps the ridge line to the west, the community could be threatened, Bierce said.
"It could go to Lytle Creek," Bierce said.
Firefighters on the scene numbered fewer than 100 as daylight disappeared. They planned to fight the blaze through the night, Bierce said.
More than 150 firefighters from multiple agencies initially responded to the fire, which ignited on a hillside north of the Deer Park Nudist Resort, located at the terminus of Glen Helen Road.
The fire spread up the hills west of the nudist resort, and raced alongside train tracks that parallel the 15 Freeway, resort residents said.
Tom Tierney, a resident of the nudist resort since 1994, remained inside his home at about 3 p.m. as fire crews cleared brush from the hills nearby.
Tierney, 80, had already packed his car with his records and valuable possessions, and said he had dressed only out of fear that he would have to evacuate.
Despite the fire nearby, Tierney said he wasn't worried.
"(The firefighters) are all pretty relaxed," he said. "One guy was over there drinking water. As long as they're not excited, I think we're OK."
About 40 homes were endangered by the Little Mountain Fire in the north end of San Bernardino.
Late in the afternoon, the fire jumped the 215 Freeway and burned along University Avenue behind a number of business, including a Days Inn Motel.
Evacuation orders were lifted by early evening in the fire that was 100 percent contained by 8 p.m.
Multiple fire agencies battled the 750-acre blaze, which burned in the Shandin Hills and Blair Park area.
Four separate fires burned Monday in Ontario after being ignited Sunday night. Firefighters extinguished two early Monday morning. The other two merged Monday afternoon and firefighters had it contained within hours.
Sixty people in 28 homes received mandatory evacuation orders in several neighborhoods, said Jacob Green, Ontario Fire Department's spokesman.
The mandatory evacuation was reduced to voluntary about 3 p.m. Monday, Green said.
Three firefighters had minor injuries, Green said.
Firefighters extinguished that blaze, called the Kellogg Fire because it was at the Kellogg Composting Facility. It flared up later, said Ontario police Cpl. Jeff Higbee.
"We're cautiously optimistic," Green said. "We have good containment right now, but we're at the liberty of the winds."
More than 100 firefighters battled the fire.
Dairy land, manure, compost material, miscellaneous vegetation, hay barns and utility buildings were destroyed, said Ontario fire Investigator Frank Huddleston.
High winds also caused flights to be diverted from L.A./Ontario International Airport on Monday morning.
United Airlines canceled flights to and from the airport before noon with the exception of one flight coming from San Francisco, said airport spokesman Howard Johnson.
Other planes were forced to take a second pass in attempting to land because of the wind, Johnson said.
Ian Gregor, regional spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said six of 13 planes were diverted to other airports, including Los Angeles International, because the 60 mph wind gusts were too strong.
More than 700 people filled the evacuation center at the National Orange Show Events Center.
Late Monday afternoon, about 200 mountain evacuees chowed down on hot dogs, potato salad and chips.
People sought out shady spots but most stayed inside because of the poor air quality. Some were undeterred, as dozens of kids skateboarded or played with their dogs in the parking lot.
"Morale is up, but maybe it just hasn't hit them yet," said Chris Lewis, who helped the evacuees.
Debbie Gibson wished she had grabbed more from her home in Arrow Bear.
"In retrospect, I should have gotten the pictures of my three daughters and some of their baby clothes because my one daughter is in Iraq," said the 54-year-old mom. "But you're never prepared for anything like this."
Gibson moved in to her Arrow Bear home a little over a week ago with her two dogs and her boyfriend. But a wakeup knock on her door at 8:30 a.m., informed her that her stay would be short.
"It was my neighbor telling me that it was a mandatory evacuation."
Gibson grabbed what she could: her prescriptions, bills, insurance papers, dogs, sleeping bags and water.
"I took a few pieces of clothing with me and the ones I'm wearing on my back," she said. "But that's it. It's pretty scary."
The Grass Valley and Slide fires have consumed about 5,000 acres and destroyed about 150 homes, fire officials said during a morning briefing today at Mary Putnum Henck Intermediate School in Lake Arrowhead.
While the Grass Valley Fire laid relatively low overnight, the Slide Fire near Green Valley Lake moved into Running Springs, burning through the Camp Helen Dade Boy Scout camp and destroying homes near Wilderness Drive. It jumped Highway 18 and raced down a drainage to Highway 330, threatening homes in the Fredalba and Smiley Park areas.
Today, firefighters are again facing the same foes that created problematic firefighting scenarios Monday and early Tuesday: strong, unyielding winds that are blowing embers all over the mountainsides and sparking spot fires.
It is uncertain if any aircraft will be deployed today to help battle the blazes due to the strong winds and lack of resources as firefighters battle 15 Southern California wildland fires, including the Slide and Grass Valley fires in the San Bernardino Mountains.
"The huge thing is the wind, because of pilot safety," said Veronica Magnuson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. "Yesterday, they couldn't get them up because of the winds."
Today's highs are expected to be between 68 and 74 degrees and 79-84 degrees in the foothills, with northeast winds between 25 and 35 mph and gusts up to 60 mph through the passes, fire officials said.
Tonight's lows are predicted to be between 42 and 52 degrees, with easterly winds dying off to about 25 mph, officials said.
About 1,000 firefighters are battling the blazes. Two teams, a national and regional, will each be assigned a fire. The regional will be assigned to the Grass Valley Fire in Lake Arrowhead, which has burned about 130 homes, some with price tags topping $1 million, and the national team comprised of state, federal and local resources will take the Slide Fire, said Dan Snow, a fire prevention officer with the U.S. Forest Service.
The Slide Fire burned around the northern, eastern and southern ends of the community of Green Valley Lake Monday and threatened to jump Green Valley Lake Road, the only road accessing the area from Highway 18. It forced firefighters and law enforcement to vacate the area, but it was unclear if any residents remained in the area.
Homes continue to burn in the Running Springs area, said Steve Seltzner, a battalion chief with the U.S. Forest Service.
"We're continuing to lose structures this morning as we speak. It's a real dogfight," Seltzner said during this morning's briefing.
Mandatory evacuations remain in effect throughout most mountain communities. About 15,000 people have been evacuated, said Randy Clauson, a division chief with the U.S. Forest Service.
Joe Nelson, joe.nelson@sbsun.com
I hear that there are laws forbidding clearing brush from around your home. If true it is just stupid.
This is so scary. I’m in the central Cali coastal range and everything is as dry as can be. Thankfully, not too much wind here. But our humidity, which is usually about 75%, yesterday was 22%. Very very dry for here. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed.
In these So CA counties the laws require brush clearance around homes. In LA County the ordinance used to be 30’ to bare earth and an additional 100’ no higher than 18”. Landscaping was required to be fire resistant type.
Last night I heard the Federal Government (Bush) is finally going to get involved.
And yet, Bush is about to give away $500,000,000 of our money to fight drugs in Mexico. (Right. I wish I were going to be on the receiving end of this scam. What a sick laugh.)
Out of ignorance, why so late?
I am rethinking my comment about lateness in helping California by the Feds.
Maybe the State did not ask for help until now?
If so, that is terrible.
I went to Cajon High School, and Cal State San Bernardino. This time of year is so scary through the pass. It is windy, dry and unforgiving. I feel for all of the people that are in this area.
This image of the fires in California was captured at 1:55 p.m. U.S. Pacific Daylight Time on October 22, 2007. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Thick streamers of smoke unfurl over the Pacific Ocean. The brownish plumes are clouds of dust. Fires northwest of Los Angeles seemed calmer at the time of this image than they were the previous day.
The Slide Fire has charred between 3,000-to-4,000 acres and claimed more than 100 hundred homes in Running Springs and Green Valley Lake.
Fire officials said that number is a conservative estimate. “We're in the midst of a real dogfight to save as many structures as we can,” said Steve Seltzner, a U.S. Forest Service battalion chief.
The fire is burning heavy timber at rapid rates, he said. No homes have been lost in Arrow Bear but there's an imminent threat.
“We're losing structures even as we speak,” he said. Winds have picked up and are raining ash down on Highway 330.
Sometime this morning, the Slide Fire jumped Highways 18 and 330.
Flames are mostly in the Smiley Park area near Fredalba Road.
Hubby’s on his way to California...He’s going to be a PIO on the Grass fire. This fire now will be my number one attention getter...
From rimoftheworld.net
Fires Consume a Total of 5,000 acres in Mountains
Update 1:45 PM
Running Springs - Combined fires now over 5,000 acres. According to witnesses, firefighters in Running Spring are making a stand at Hunsacker Drive to prevent the fire from spreading further eastward. The fire has reportedly spread down Highway 330 to within one-and-a-half miles of the City Creek Ranger Station. It is also burning up hill and up wind slowly toward Fredalba Trail and Smiley Park.
Reports indicate that more than half of the homes in Fedalba have burned. There are new reports of a large spot fire in the North Shore area of Lake Arrowhead. The 50 by 50 foot spot was contained by fire crews. An arson investigator is responding to the scene. A witness saw a red truck in the area near the Baptist Church shortly before the fire started.
The fire activity in the Running Springs area is continuing to challenge firefighters. The DC-10 Air Tanker has made two runs, dropping retardant ahead of the fire in order to slow its progress. Spot fires have been reported throughout the area. Areas to the south and west of Downtown Running Springs are the most threatened at this time, with active fire in many communities. To the west, patrols are being sent to the Cedar Glen area to scout how far west the fire is progressing.
According to a CHP officer, “most of Fredalba is up in flames.” Spot fires have been reported near Nob Hill. Tanker 910, the retardant-dropping DC-10 jet, has made its first drop over Running Springs for the day.
According to news reports most of Green Valley Lake is still standing, but many homed have burned. The fire is actively burning in and around the Running Springs area. Fire has been reported along Secret Drive and Encina Way. Homes have reportedly burned on Wagon Wheel Drive and at 31757 Hilltop Boulevard. 4 or 5 homes have burned on Easy Street. Highway 330 has flames burning on both sides of the roadway to the north and east of Live Oak Drive.
Structure protection for the Running Springs, Twin Peaks, and Lake Arrowhead areas are the priority, according reports from the US Forest Service. The fire complex has reportedly consumed about 4,000 acres and is 5% contained. Nearly 100 homes burned in the Running Springs area, bringing the total homes lost between 200 and 250 between Green Valley Lake and Twin Peaks – a number that is expected to grow as crews regain access to the Green Valley Lake area. There are reports of additional homes being lost in the Deep Creek and Palo Alto areas of Running Springs. Some air resources have been deployed to fight the fire this morning.
(scanner transcript from rimoftheworld.net
02:03 PM Source: scanner
imminent threat to Pali Camp at 30778 SR18; need an engine in here; I’ve already picked up one spot and it’s making a hard run at the camp itself.
01:56 PM Source: scanner From: CHP CAD
1:49PM PLS ADV FIRE, UNIT IS IFO 3101 OLD CITY CREEK RD//STRUCTURE JUST STARTING ON FIRE
01:50 PM Source: scanner
South Ops on the phone again want to steal the DC10 due to a power plant being threatened; Let them know that there is a direct threat to the communities of Running Springs and now Lake Arrowhead
01:47 PM Source: scanner
AA said that the fire from Green Valley Lake is running strong making a big push to Arrowhead and he believes it will make it there today. The fires is about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 miles from Lake Arrowhead; it will bump the old burn, but there is still some fuel in there.
01:37 PM Source: scanner
County Roads working on Allview Drive at SR18
01:28 PM Source: scanner
{air to air discussion regarding rooms} “All the rooms have been taken by the evacuees.” “My mechanic already had a room and they tripled the price on him.”
01:26 PM Source: scanner
Boy Scout camp is evacuated
01:22 PM Source: scanner
1-1/2 miles from Station 38 at City Creek; slowly backing towards Fredalba Trail at Smiley Park
01:17 PM Source: scanner
fire is 1/2 mile from rimwood ranch below RS
01:16 PM Source: scanner
don’t take the 30 towards Highland - traffic jam
01:10 PM Source: scanner
“Community Meeting Planned for Highland”
01:04 PM Source: scanner
tanker 910 is 13 miles out
01:01 PM Source: eyewitness
From ROTW Google - Got an inside scoop that engines are holding a line on Hunsucker (industrial RS) to keep the fire from spreading east. My house is a couple lots behind this on West Dr. near Cove Circle. My neighborhood is okay at the moment. The neighborhood to the west of this behind the post office I believe was hit hard (Palo Alto, Whispering Pines, Secret, Encina, Deep Creek). Those roads are narrow, so I am sure they are doing the best they can.
12:57 PM Source: scanner
investigator on scene (USFS 12E5)
12:55 PM Source: scanner
50 x 50 spot, controlled (North Shore IC - Yellowstone at 173)
12:53 PM Source: scanner
preserve the point of origin - FS sending investigator (Yellowstone and 173)
12:52 PM Source: scanner
check the area behind the firestation on Oak Knoll
12:51 PM Source: scanner
suspicious circumstances - RP saw a red truck near the Baptist Church just before the fire started
12:48 PM Source: scanner
more houses burned than are not - at least 2 dozen on Fredalba - we’re not going down any lower because houses are still burning down there; 50 to 60% burned; it’s still boiling down in there; I don’t want to go down in there that far.
12:47 PM Source: scanner From: CHP CAD
12:42PM PER DUPE CALLERS - BRUSH AND STRUCTURES BURNING NOW YOSEMITE AT YELLOWSTONE AREA — FIRE 97
12:45 PM Source: scanner
big spot over the Lake Arrowhead area, on the north side (Air unit on Slide side reported seeing large column)
12:44 PM Source: scanner From: CHP CAD
SR18 AT RIM OF THE WORLD DR -11:50AM PER USFS, WILL NOT BE SENDING ENGINES TO SPECIFIC FIRES, THE ENGINES ARE ON “FREE MODE “ 11:49AM REAR BUILDING ON FIRE
12:43 PM Source: scanner
Wagon Wheel in Running Springs; Elderly female is at that location
12:42 PM Source: scanner
sounds like North Shore and Yosemite area
12:41 PM Source: scanner
Yellowstone and Yosemite; Zion and Lake Edge; Golden Rule and 173; all in the same area; response enroute
12:40 PM Source: scanner
multiple reports of fire in that same area, looks like a new one (Mt. Zion area)
12:39 PM Source: scanner From: CHP CAD
1382 YOSEMITE DR - 12:36PM RP SEES SMOKE IN TAVERN BAY AREA
12:38 PM Source: scanner From: CHP CAD
28739 ZION DR - House fire
12:37 PM Source: scanner
4 tankers ordered; we’re working on the slop over on the west side (Slide Air Attack discussion)
Authorities consider it to be a spot fire from the Grass Valley Fire.
A Type III engine and a hand crew with about 20 firefighers is there tackling the blaze.
Gonzales did not know the size of the fire.
Reporter Matt Wrye, stationed in Running Springs, drove about one-quarter mile down Pine Cone Drive from downtown. At that point, he saw flames climbing the hill slowly, about 100 feet down. Apparently, the blaze is making its way back up the hill.
But helicopters were bombarding the fire with water every few minutes, slowing its advance. -- George Watson
Fire, fire, everywhere....
Wonder how they’re coming getting out of state resources. It’s fall, it’s hunting season, and a lot of FS and BLM bosses aren’t going to be that happy to let their employees get out of state while it’s PL 1...all that non-fire work that didn’t get done in the summer has to get done some time. Know the order my hubby filled had come up several times until they got filled it with him.
Might be easier with strike team guys...but other incident positions might be harder to fill. Hope the winds back off soon.
Latest hour on the scanner transcription:
03:09 PM Source: scanner
the fire is getting close here to (name) home; it’s up here at the top of the ridge and we have nothing to hit it with; What about Live Oak area? There were spots on the west side of Live Oak; not sure, I haven’t heard any of that activity; Sounds like Fredalba/Smiley Park area got hit hard; same with areas of Nob Hill and Willow and Poplar; it was flanking us then we have fire coming back at us; What about around my house of Sunspree Oceanview area? There was some down on Old City Creek below you, but it actually looks pretty good; What about Hunsacker and Deep Creek areas, north of the town of Running Springs? They did a good job knocking the heat out. We ran out of foam; not sure we have anybody that can apply the gel. Looks like it lit up over there {behind? by?} Arrowbear, it’s going to make a run towards the Nordic Tract.
02:56 PM Source: scanner From: CHP CAD (late entry)
REPORT OF FIRE 30778 CA-18, RUNNING SPRINGS 1:29PM NO FIRE PERSONNEL 97 YET
02:40 PM Source: scanner
Structures burning on Willow and Poplar in Running Springs
02:36 PM Source: scanner
live NBC4 is reporting that the fire is making a run towards the Castle off Fredalba and 330 in Running Springs; the winds are increasing
02:30 PM Source: scanner From: {from email - thank you - and I
I had contacted you earlier about my property at 26665 Amador Lane in Lake Arrowhead. One of our neighbors who lives on Windward (just above Amador, in the Black Oaks development) went to see if his home was there. It was gone. He said that all of the 26000 block of Amador is gone. Where our house stood, he said that there was just ash and a driveway to show where a house once was.
02:19 PM Source: scanner
2 hours ago it was 1/4 mile away from Live Oak; I drove up Live Oak and there are strike teams of engines all lined up there, it’s coming up. Chief, any word of Willow and Poplar area? {no response}
02:17 PM Source: scanner
AA reporting that the fire could make Lake Arrowhead before dark. We’re at the high school and have a good visual of the whole thing. Hopefully it will hit the Old Fire burn and we can get a better handle on it. But we’ve got a real problem here in Running Springs.
02:14 PM Source: scanner
how does Running Springs look? {reply} Not too good. Combination of sand/wind then it diminishes then comes back up. We just lost (gave name) house down there.
02:14 PM Source: scanner
Decided to effect evacuation of Mountains Community Hospital; “It’s going to take awhile to get it done, want to get started now.” (Response) “I think that’s a good call.” (27 patients to be evacuated.)
02:13 PM Source: scanner
we’re going to start evacuating Mountains Community Hospital at this time; it’s going to take a while to get them out; there are 27 patients
02:08 PM Source: scanner
County Roads working on Wilderness at SR18
02:07 PM Source: scanner
status of 3320 Stonewall in Running Springs; call the office with status
Every community from Crestline to Snow Valley is now under mandatory evacuations.
Officials are calling for voluntary evacuations in Valley of Enchantment and Cedar Pines Park.
The Slide Fire is burning in several different directions because of shifting winds. Homes are burning. And the fire continues to burn south, down the hillside, fire officials said.
Grass Valley Fire is burning onto the Tunnel II Ridge. The next area threatened is Dart Canyon, although the blaze is not immmediately threatening structures. -- Jason Pesick
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