SoCal Fire News Live Thread 10/27 - News updates/pics only!

(Updates welcome. Freepmail me or post 'em. I need all the help maintaining this list that I can get! Please, let's not discuss theories of how the fires started, or political debates of who should or should not be there... let's keep this thread as a fire-news only thread. Thank you!)

Most recent total update: 1,100 homes lost in the southland. 325,000 acres burned. 30,000 homes still threatened by the fire.

Hemet fire, Riverside county. As of last heard report, 6500 acres burned. May have joined with the Mountain fire (see below).

Simi Valley fire, Ventura county/northern Los Angeles county - Combined with original Val Verde/Santa Clarita fire. 120,000 acres. Six homes destroyed, eight damaged. Containment: 0 percent. Start: Oct. 25. Firefighters trying to save Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Voluntary evacuations for Moorpark. Personnel: 599 firefighters. Cause: Arson. People in Box Canyon, Woolsey Canyon, Twin Lakes, Iverson Ranch, and other nearby regions have been evacuated. Evacuated region is north of Santa Suzanna Pass. Fire currently closest to Indian Oaks mobile home park.

Piru fire, Ventura county - 5,500 acres. Containment: 85 percent. Start: Oct. 23, west of Lake Piru in Ventura County. The fire in Los Padres National Forest is threatening the Sespe Wilderness and Sespe Condor sanctuary. There are no condors currently in the refuge. Voluntary evacuations in Piru and parts of Fillmore. Personnel: 780 firefighters. Cause: Under investigation.

Grand Prix fire, San Bernardino & Los Angeles counties - 40 mile fireline from LA to San Bernardino county (includes Old Waterman fire and Crestline fire) - Fire line is 40 miles long including the Old Waterman fire. 35,000 acres. 62 homes destroyed. Containment: 23 percent. Mandantory evacuations in Lytle Creek, Mt. Baldy, Rialto, and parts of Claremont, Upland, and other foothill communities of the San Gabriel Mtns. Personnel: 2,427 firefighters. Fire started on Foxborough Drive in the city of Fontana. Cause: Arson. Fire considered 100 percent contained in western region reaching from La Verne, CA to Rancho Cucamonga, CA. (Yay!)

Old Waterman fire, San Bernardino county - Size: 15,000 acres. 300 homes and ten commercial buildings destroyed. Deaths: 2. Containment: 5 percent. Start: Oct. 25 near San Bernardino National Forest. Evacuations in foothill areas of San Bernardino and mountain communities, including Crestline and Lake Arrowhead. Personnel: 917 firefighters. Cause: Arson.

Crestline fire, San Bernardino county - Burning next to Crestline and Lake Arrowhead currently, with evacuations in Big Bear, Running Springs, Blue Jay, and other close areas. Acreage unknown. Grand Prix fire is burning up the mountain to join with it, slowly but surely. Approx. 30 structures in Crestline burned. Mandantory evacuations in Lake Arrowhead, Rim Forest, Sky Forest, Running Springs, Arrowbear, Blue Jay, Crestline, Green Valley Springs, and Big Bear. Hospital in Lake Arrowhead has been evacuated as per NBC4 broadcast; patients have been taken to hospitals in Hesperia and other high-desert cities.

San Clemente/Camp Pendleton fire, San Diego county - Freeper reports that it was just south of San Onofre power plant, a couple miles inland from the 5 freeway. Size: 4,800 acres. Containment: 75 percent. No structures burned, although the fire threatened homes in nearby De Luz. Started Oct. 21st on the base north of San Diego. Key facts: Authorities are downplaying early reports that fire was ignited by live ammo exercises on the base. Personnel: 1,000 firefighters. Cause: Under investigation.

Mountain fire, Riverside county - Now combo fire, including Rancho California fire: 6,000 acres. Six structures destroyed. Containment: 60 percent. Some burn injuries reported. Evacuations ordered for homes near Lake Skinner. Two civillian injuries. Personnel: 250 firefighters. Cause: Under investigation.

Riverside fire, Riverside county - Fire was located at last report (2:42pm) at Limonite Av/northbound I-15. Brush fire, no visibility on freeway at report time.

Malibu fire, Los Angeles/Ventura county region - FIRE OUT as of 10/26/03! Hooray!

Otay Lakes fire, San Diego county. Still active. Last update as of 3:56pm; location of fire was Otay Lakes Rd. at Wueste Rd. Closure on Otay Lakes Rd. at the 94. Fire jumped to northbound side of Procter Vally at Otay Lakes Rd. No other info available.

Cedar fire, San Diego county. Structures burned: 100 homes in Ramona, 150 in Scripps Ranch, 10 in Tierrasanta, 8 in Santee, 50-100 structures in Crest (east of El Cajon), many other structures. Deaths: 9. Injured: 2 firefighters, several civilians. Started Oct. 25 in eastern San Diego County, between Julian and Ramona. 200,000 acres burned. Personnel: More than 800 firefighters. Containment: 0 percent. Extends to Scripps Ranch, Poway, Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, portions of Santee, Lakeside, Ramona, El Cajon, San Carlos, Alpine, and Blossom Valley. Air traffic nationwide was disrupted when this fire forced the evacuation of a FAA control center at Miramar. Cause: Authorities believe a hunter set a signal fire when he got lost.

Dulzura fire, San Diego county - Also known as the Mine fire. 15,000 acres. Containment: 0 percent. Personnel: 300 firefighters. Started Oct. 26 in southern San Diego county. Fire crossed the border into Mexico, but no structures were threatened in Tijuana. Cause: Under investigation.

Paradise fire, San Diego county. Also known as Escondido fire. 15,000 acres. 57 homes and 103 outbuildings burned (no homes in Escondido area were lost), two deaths. Containment: 0 percent. Started Oct. 26 in Valley Center area near Interstate 15. Valley View Casino evacuated. Personnel: More than 500+ firefighters. Cause: Under investigation.

DePortola (Temecula) fire, Riverside county (may be San Diego county?) - Started 2:16pm 10/27/03 near the I-15 & Hwy 76. Small brush fire. May be out.

Norco? fire, Los Angeles county - Started approx 2:58 pm, fire beneath the 71 freeway, 2 suspects with a red cass can seen running towards the local humane society. No additional details since 3:12pm. Fire estimated to be at SR71 just north of Mission Blvd. (May have to go personally check this one out.)

San Luis Obispo fire, county unknown - Reported at 9:03am. As of report at 1:03pm, fire was burning towards Resevoir Canyon in a SE direction. Fire near the 101 freeway; as per 3:04pm report, traffic delays up to 45 minutes due to fire.

Yucaipa fire, Riverside/San Bernardino county - Reported to be near state route 38 and Bryant. No other info available.

Antelope Valley fire, county unknown - Not much info on this fire, except a location (as of 3:46pm) of Avenue J at 90th St. East.

Long Beach fire, Los Angeles county - Not much info on this fire except location of 5602 N. Long Beach Blvd; may be a building fire in-city and not a wildfire.

Convoy fire, San Diego county - Reported start at 3:29pm, location westbound 52 at Convoy. Small brush fire. No other info available.

Redding fire, San Bernardino county - Reported as of 5:52pm, location Dersch Rd. at Parkville Rd in Redding. No additional info available.

Point Reyes fire (Northern California) - Reported as of 3:46pm. A ditch was on fire along Petaluma Rd. at Nicasio Valley Rd. 1 lane of traffic shut down. No further information available.

OTHER: Reports of a P2V Firefighting plane, crashed 7.4 miles SSW of Big Bear Dam. Supposedly ignited a fire, no survivors expected. Crash was described as in "pieces".

JUST IN: Report of a transformer fire in San Bernardino, location Alto Dr. at Mesa Ct. No further info avail.

From IncidentControl.com:

Grand Prix Fire updated at 6:36 pm 10-27-03

Mandatory evacuations:
Glen Helen - North Side of I-15
Cajon Canyon towards Blue Cut
Devore and Devore Heights - all the way up
Mt. Baldy Village - Lytle Creek

Evacuation has been lifted: All of Rancho Cucamonga,
Rialto in Los Colinas and County Club, San Antonio Heights,
Cucamonga and Upland Area
For more specific details call (909) 383-5688

Main evacuation site - Jesse Turner Center at 6396 Citrus Ave.
Evacuation site #2 has been closed Rancho Cucamonga High School
Evacuation site #3 15th St at San Antonio Rd - Park & Recreation Center (San Antonio Heights)
Evacuation site #4 AB Miller High School 6821 Oleander Ave., Fontana, CA 92336 (909) 357-5800
Evacuation site #5 has been closed La Verne at Bonita High School
Evacuation site #6 Claremont High School, 1601 N. Indian Hill, in Claremont.

For large animal relocations, residents can contact
the Rancho Cucamonga Emergency Operations Center at (909) 477-2700.
Animal control may be reached at 1-800-472-5609.

San Bernardino National Forest closed to all visitors
Angeles National Forest closed to all visitors

Significant Events:

Lytle Creek - Wrightwood update: The fire is still on the slope on the West side of Lytle Creek. The fire is creeping across the slope and backing down slope, and has only progressed a few hundred yards since last night. There are now dozers in the bottom of Lytle Creek and they are cutting two fuel breaks, one on each side of the canyon. Dozers have also cut a fuel break extending the Ridge road further East.

In the Eastern end of the canyon the fire has slopped over the ridge (only an acre or two) under the power lines. This area is about 1.5 miles from Blue Cut and down old 66 but still a long way from the road. And it is not active fire. At this time there is not even a hint of a need to evacuate Wrightwood.

The Grand Prix and Old fire have merged with the total fire front along the urban interface of 40 miles. (This does not mean that active burning is taking place on all 40 miles)

Acres 52,184 acres

American Red Cross

American Red Cross Inland Empire
• Online Donation Form Click Here
• American Red Cross Home Page Click Here
All structure Damage & Loss reports are handled by the Red Cross
Residents in Old Fire areas call: Inland Empire Red Cross 909-888-1481
Residents in Grand Prix Fire areas call: Inland Valley Red Cross 909-986-6651

Blood Need

Due to the fires surrounding San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, there is an urgent need for blood. The Blood Bank has had to cancel a number of scheduled blood drives due to the evacuation of the areas that these blood drives were going to be held. In addition, due to the problems with air travel, they have been unable to fly in blood from other areas. For these reasons, ARMC will be hosting an emergency blood drive tomorrow, October 28, 7:30 - 5 PM, in ARMC's Oak Room. You can also make a blood donation at any of the donor centers located throughout San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. If you would like any additional information, please contact the Blood Bank at 1-800-879-4484.

Cause

Suspected to have been started by an arsonist, the fire investigation team made up of the California Department of Forestry, the USDA Forest Service and Rancho Cucamonga Fire continue their search for the person (s) responsible. Any workers or residents of the Hunter Ridge Home area that saw any suspicious activity (such as cars speeding away or suspicious persons) on October 21 between 1 pm and 2:30 pm, are requested to call (909) 881-6900 or contact their local fire station or arson bureau.
Closures Subject to change at any time.
For current info check Road Conditions
• Lytle Creek Road remains closed
• San Bernardino National Forest closed to all visitors

Concerns

The fire is burning in an area that has heavy brush and timber and is steep, rugged and inaccessible. The work the firefighters are doing is in very difficult and dangerous terrain. Access into this fire is difficult. Even though there is a road across the top of San Sevaine ridge, it is very narrow requiring an extraordinary coordination effort to manage the up and down traffic. The primary and overriding focus is keeping our firefighters safe from harm, while still accomplishing the mission.

Major power transmission lines are a concern on this fire because both the DWP and SCE have lines that run through the fire area. There are about three of these lines and while the utilities could probably handle the loss of one of the circuits, loss or shut down of more than one could mean power outages for a million customers. Including the San Bernardino Air Tanker Base that is needed to fight the current fires.

Containment: 25 % containment. Expected containment date is 10-30-03 6pm.

Cost To Date: $7,200,000

Damage To date:

2 cars destroyed
Structures Destroyed: 1 Outbuilding , 60 Homes
1 Helicopter on USFS contract sustained significant damage while on the ground and overrun by fire. (no one was injured)
1 boat on trailer
4 cars damaged

All structure Damage & Loss reports are handled by the Red Cross

Residents in Old Fire areas call: Inland Empire Red Cross 909-888-1481
Residents in Grand Prix Fire areas call: Inland Valley Red Cross 909-986-6651

Equipment: 225 engines, 210 hand crews, 27 water tenders, 5 helitankers, 10 helicopters, 1 air tanker, 19 dozers [aircraft fly only during daylight hours & when wind conditions permit].

Evacuation

Info Animal control may be reached at 1-800-472-5609.
County Fire Information: 909 355-8800

Flight Restrictions

FAA FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) 91.137 has been placed around the fire area restricting non-fire related aircraft movement. The restriction will remain in place until all fire activity ceases.

Fuel: Heavy brush, grass with timber component in upper reaches of watershed.

Incident Command

Unified Command - CDF, Rancho Cucamonga Fire, USFS and SB County Fire
As of 7am 10-22-03 Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team III (Mike Dietrich - Incident Commander, Martin Esparza - Information Officer
Incident number CA-BDU-11262
Transfer of command to National Interagency Incident Management Team (Studebaker) took place Sat at 1900.

Injuries: 15 Total. 1 poison oak encounter, 2 bee sting, 3 eye injury, 1 minor burn, 1 heat exhaustion.

Location

Start Latitude:34° 9´ 30"
Longitude:117° 30´ 48"
Fire origin was on Foxborough Drive, Fontana.

10-21-03, 2:22 pm. The Grand Prix Fire is located in the Northern portion of Fontana, California, and into the San Bernardino National Forest. West of Foxborough Drive and San Sevaine Wash, north of Coyote Road, south of Cucamonga Wilderness and south of Duncan Canyon. The fire was named Grand Prix because the initial dispatch was to Grand Prix and Shetland Lane in Fontana.

BDF Chief Darrel Mincey reported that the fire started around 14:30 and was already at 80 acres before the first air assets arrived. This fire burned 2443 acres in the first 12 hours. The first operational period of this fire burned in an area that had burned during the Texas Fire in 1982.

Observed Fire Behavior

Limited spotting and torching with extreme fire behavior within the fire perimeter. Fire whirls and erratic fire behavior upslope and at ridgetops. Fire continues to burn in a westerly direction. High winds and low RH recoveries as predicted continue the Red Flag Warning that is in effect through Sunday.

Personnel 2,427

Planned Actions

Continue to establish anchor points near threatened communities, power lines and communication sites. Contingency plans for communities west of fire are in development.

Power Outages

Power outage in Lytle Creek.
3 High Voltage power lines and Transformers which provide 25% of the power to LA basin are in the fire area. They continue to be a concern to fire managers.

School Info

Alta Loma High School - reopen 10/28/03
Alta Loma School District - All schools closed will reopen 10/28/03
Cal State University San Bernardino reopen 10/29/03
Catholic Schools in the Diocese of San Bernardino closed 10/27/03
Chaffey Joint Union High School District will be open 10-28-03
Chaffey Community College - will reopen 10/28/03
Chino School District
Colton Jr. Unified School District - will reopen 10/29/03
Etiwanda School District - All schools closed will reopen 10/28/03
Fontana School Dist. - All schools will reopen 10/28/03
Mt. Baldy School District - closed - until further notice
Rancho Cucamonga High School reopen 10/28/03
Rim of the World - closed through 10/29/03, will reopen 10/30/03
San Bernardino City Unified School District closed, reopen 10/29/03
San Bernardino County Schools Click Here
San Bernardino Valley College closed, will reopen 10/28/03

Rialto Unified School District closed Tuesday, October 28, all District personnel in the Maintenance & Operations (all custodians) are to report to work as directed by their supervisors.

SCHOOL SITES - OPEN AS OF 10/27/03 AT 10:45 A.M.

Apple Valley Unified School District
Bear Valley Unified School District
Hesperia Unified School District
Snowline Joint Unified School District

Special Overview

Southern California Edison has announced that it may take the unprecedented step of shutting down power in bark beetle-infested forests in San Bernardino and Riverside counties under hazardous conditions of high, sustained winds and low humidity. SCE’s new protective outage policy is an extraordinary precautionary measure to reduce the risk to lives and property.

It affects some 31,000 SCE customers in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains, where more than a million trees are dead or dying. When high winds strike the bark beetle-infested forest, weakened tree limbs and other material
are more likely to fall or get blown into SCE facilities. This could result in wildfires. Depending on the duration of these conditions, outages could last from several hours to several days.

Intensive communication efforts are underway to notify affected customers, property owners, public safety agencies, legislators and other parties regarding the need to implement this unprecedented safety measure.

Structures

Threatened 3,400 homes, 4,900 out buildings, 100 commercial Structures are threatened in the communities of Lytle Creek, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, San Antonio Heights, Mt. Baldy, Claremont, Rialto, Fontana, La Verne, and San Dimas.

Agencies Involved

CDF, US Forest Service, California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Fire Department, Southern California Edison, Dept of Corrections, San Bernardino Sheriff, Red Cross, Animal Shelter, Flood Control, DWP, Rancho Cucamonga PD, Ontario Police Dept., OES, Caltrans

Contact (909) 887-8921, Grand Prix Fire Information Desk or (909) 383-5688 for San Bernardino National Forest Incident Information Desk.
San Bernardino County Fire Information Line 909 355-8800 (Recording)

Website with updates www.incidentcontrol.com
Martin Esparza - Information Officer

This website is owned and operated by a private company. We do not have access to information on the status of individual homes or structures nor do we make maps. Accurate information is posted as soon as we get it.

We no longer have time to respond to specific emails about map requests, fire conditions in specific areas, fires not covered by IncidentControl.com or questions in general. If you have a comment, important information or corrections feel free to email us but we may not have time to reply. Our focus must remain on keeping the web pages updated.

Initial Narrative

Narrative of Initial Start - Grand Prix Fire 2003
The Grand Prix Fire 10/21/03 By, Clint Kearns

The Grand Prix Fire broke out just on the edge of the wildland/urban interface above Fontana around 2:20 PM. The cause is suspicious and there are conflicting reports about possible arson. An investigation is under way. The fire burned quickly uphill pushed by 5 MPH Southwest winds and burned into the San Bernardino National Forest. No homes have been threatened but structure protection assignments were made around the Chicken Ranch along Duncan Road just West of Interstate 15.

Four Air Tankers, two Type One Helitankers, and two Type Two Helicopters were in service early in the fire, but thick smoke on the east flank prohibited their maximum utilization, leaving the bulk of the work to the 200 firefighters on the line from CDF, San Bernardino County, several local cities, the department of corrections, and the San Bernardino National Forest. There were three dozers on the line and two of these had to utilize their safety zones when fire on the south east flank (division Z) burned over their line.

The air tankers were called off of the Grand Prix and reassigned to the Pass Fire in Northwest Riverside County where numerous homes and ranches were threatened in Reche Canyon.

The fire had consumed approximately 1800 acres by nightfall and had burned over some sections of the San Sevaine Truck trail. As darkness fell the winds lessened and changed direction and the progress of the fire was slowing.

The Fire will be turned over to a Type II Incident Management team tomorrow morning.

From IncidentControl.com:

Old Fire updated at 9:24 pm 10-27-03

Mandatory and immediate evacuation for the communities:

Crestline/Cedar Pines
Lake Arrowhead/Twin Peaks/Sky Forest
Running Springs (use Northbound 18 and 38)
Blue Jay, Twin Peaks, Lake Arrowhead Area - Devore
Cedar Pines Park on West continuing East to Running Springs

North/East Del Rosa Areas - Generally areas North of
Marshall w/West border of Harrison going East to Victoria

Running Springs, Arrowbear, Green Valley Lake
(using Hwy. 18 thru Big Bear and Hwy. 38 thru Big Bear/Angelus Oaks.)

East Highland Ranch area (east of Church, North of Baseline and Weaver, everything east of Weaver and north of Greenspot)

Mandatory evacuations have been lifted for Muscoy
Mandatory evacuations are starting to be lifted: areas in the City of San Bernardino

Mandantory evacuations for: North end of Highland, East of 330

Over 40,000 people have been evacuated.

American Red Cross Shelter site is set up to receive evacuees at Sultana High School at 17311 Sultana Street (cross street of I Street) in Hesperia.
Shelter site at the Passenger Terminal at San Bernardino International Airport (Norton).

EVACUATION SITES STATUS
Sultana High School 180 evacuees
Hesperia High School 40 evacuees
San Bernardino Int'l. Airport - 2 Hangers 1,843 evacuees

For more information contact: Call (909) 355-8800

San Bernardino National Forest closed to all visitors
Angeles National Forest closed to all visitors

Status
Significant Events:
Rim of the World - Significant fire front

FireFighters are carefully doing a burnout in the Strawberry Creek area to keep fire from taking Lake Arrowhead.

Fire is currently backing into the Lake Gregory area. Wind shift could change the backing down.

Devore had extreme amount of fire activity today.

The Grand Prix and Old fire have merged with the total fire front along the urban interface of 40 miles. (This does not mean that active burning is taking place on all 40 miles)

The Playground Fire is now a part of the Old Fire and is no longer a separate fire

SCE spokesman Steve Conroy states that SCE has lost 2 main transmission lines feeding the mountain top communities. Running Springs, Crestline & mountain top communities in that area are without power. It may be out for up to 48 hours.

Acres 26,000 + acres

All structure Damage & Loss reports are handled by the Red Cross

Residents in Old Fire areas call: Inland Empire Red Cross 909-888-1481
Residents in Grand Prix Fire areas call: Inland Valley Red Cross 909-986-6651

Blood Need

Due to the fires surrounding San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, there is an urgent need for blood. The Blood Bank has had to cancel a number of scheduled blood drives due to the evacuation of the areas that these blood drives were going to be held. In addition, due to the problems with air travel, they have been unable to fly in blood from other areas. For these reasons, ARMC will be hosting an emergency blood drive tomorrow, October 28, 7:30 - 5 PM, in ARMC's Oak Room. You can also make a blood donation at any of the donor centers located throughout San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. If you would like any additional information, please contact the Blood Bank at 1-800-879-4484.

Boil Water Order

Due to the recent fire, the California Department of Health services, in conjunction with the San Bernardino County Health Department and East Valley Water District are advising all residents of the following service areas:

North of Foothill and Piedmont Drive between Manzanita Drive on the West and Willow Drive on the East. San Manuel Indian Reservation, all residents living along Victoria Avenue, north of Indian Service Road to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution. All tap water used for drinking or cooking should be boiled rapidly for at least one minute. This is the preferred method to assure that the water is safe to drink.

Cause: Suspect (see CHP Dispatch Log - see 9:59 am postings)

Closures

Subject to change at any time.
For current info check Road Conditions

• San Bernardino National Forest closed to all visitors

Concerns: The fire is burning in an area that has heavy brush and timber and is steep, rugged and inaccessible.

Containment: 5 % containment. Expected containment date unknown.

Cost To Date $9,500,000

Damage To date:

Residences Destroyed: more than 450 -- Including 300 in City of San Bernardino, 150 in unincorporated SB County area, 29 in Crestline, and 9 in Devore, 10 Waterman Canyon.
Commercial Properties Destroyed: 10
Also properties at the Del Rosa Forest Fire Station and Cal State San Bernardino

All structure Damage & Loss reports are handled by the Red Cross

Residents in Old Fire areas call: Inland Empire Red Cross 909-888-1481
Residents in Grand Prix Fire areas call: Inland Valley Red Cross 909-986-6651

Equipment

199 engines, 44 hand crews, 27 dozers, 42 water tenders, 15 helicopters

Evacuations

IMPORTANT EVACUATION INFORMATION:
Due to the unsafe conditions caused by fire-damaged utility lines, gas, water leaks and high windy conditions, no residents will be allowed back into the evacuation area until further notice. Assessment teams will be canvassing the areas Sunday morning to determine damages to residences. Assessment information may not be available until late Wednesday, 10/29.

American Red Cross Shelter site is set up to receive evacuees at Sultana High School at 17311 Sultana Street (cross street of I Street) in Hesperia. There is an additional Shelter site at the Passenger Terminal at San Bernardino International Airport (Norton).

Mountain residents of Crestline/Arrowhead area that are being evacuated to shelters in the City of Hesperia are to take their household pets to the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in the city of Victorville. Although managed by Animal Control, pets are being looked after by caring volunteers 24 hours a day.

Flight Restrictions

FAA FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) 91.137 has been placed around the fire area restricting non-fire related aircraft movement. The restriction will remain in place until all fire activity ceases.

Fuel

Heavy brush, grass with timber component in upper reaches of watershed.

Incident Command

Initial Incident Commander: Mick McCormick

Injuries

25 total - 1 Firefighter with 2nd & 3rd degree burns on legs, 2 confirmed deaths of seniors related to stress

Location

Start Latitude:34° 10´ 42"
Longitude:117° 16´ 42"
Fire origin was on Old Waterman Road & Hwy 18

Observed Fire Behavior

Extreme and erratic fire behavior mainly wind driven, spotting

Personnel 1,300

Priorities

• To provide for public and firefighter safety and protection of property.
• Keep the public informed about fire activity and evacuations.
• Minimize the impact of fire suppression efforts on the forest.

School Info

Alta Loma High School - reopen 10/28/03
Alta Loma School District - All schools closed will reopen 10/28/03
Cal State University San Bernardino reopen 10/29/03
Catholic Schools in the Diocese of San Bernardino closed 10/27/03
Chaffey Joint Union High School District will be open 10-28-03
Chaffey Community College - will reopen 10/28/03
Chino School District
Colton Jr. Unified School District - will reopen 10/29/03
Etiwanda School District - All schools closed will reopen 10/28/03
Fontana School Dist. - All schools will reopen 10/28/03
Mt. Baldy School District - closed - until further notice
Rancho Cucamonga High School reopen 10/28/03
Rim of the World - closed through 10/29/03, will reopen 10/30/03
San Bernardino City Unified School District closed, reopen 10/29/03
San Bernardino County Schools Click Here
San Bernardino Valley College closed, will reopen 10/28/03

Rialto Unified School District closed Tuesday, October 28, all District personnel in the Maintenance & Operations (all custodians) are to report to work as directed by their supervisors.

SCHOOL SITES - OPEN AS OF 10/27/03 AT 10:45 A.M.
Apple Valley Unified School District
Bear Valley Unified School District
Hesperia Unified School District
Snowline Joint Unified School District

Special

Southern California Edison has announced that it may take the unprecedented step of shutting down power in bark beetle-infested forests in San Bernardino and Riverside counties under hazardous conditions of high, sustained winds and low humidity. SCE’s new protective outage policy is an extraordinary precautionary measure to reduce the risk to lives and property.

It affects some 31,000 SCE customers in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains, where more than a million trees are dead or dying. When high winds strike the bark beetle-infested forest, weakened tree limbs and other material
are more likely to fall or get blown into SCE facilities. This could result in wildfires. Depending on the duration of these conditions, outages could last from several hours to several days.

Intensive communication efforts are underway to notify affected customers, property owners, public safety agencies, legislators and other parties regarding the need to implement this unprecedented safety measure.

Structures

Residences Threatened: 24,000
Commercial Properties Threatened: 500

Agencies Involved

CDF, US Forest Service, California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Fire Department, Southern California Edison, Dept of Corrections, San Bernardino Sheriff, Red Cross, Animal Shelter, San Bernardino City Fire Department, OES, Caltrans
Contact Forest Service Information Number 909-383-5688
San Bernardino County Information number 909-355-8800

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