Thursday, June 25, 2015

New Evacuations in 24,000 acre San Bernadino Mountains Lake Fire in Southern California

  • IF you have ever hiked in the San Bernadino Mountains some areas are very rugged wilderness with no roads there at all. So, if old growth forests there are burning there is literally no way to get there except by helicopter, smoke jumpers with parachutes from planes or on foot. This is very dangerous work and mostly there aren't lakes nearby to suck up water from either without flying 10 to 20 miles also, just mountain streams that may or may not be running because of the drought. I have climbed to the top of San Gorgonio Mountain which is in this range which is the highest mountain in southern California at over 11,000 feet and this is very beautiful but also very rugged country with no roads at all for miles and miles because it is a Wilderness Area where no roads exist. So, the old growth forests are a real loss not only for Southern California but also from visitors who love wilderness from all over the world.

  • Image for the news result
    Firefighters are seen battling the Lake Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest. (Credit: ...
  • Feds issues restrictions for San Bernardino forest as Lake Fire burns
    San Bernardino County Sun - 23 hours ago
  • LAKE FIRE: 33-square-mile blaze expected to burn into July
    Press-Enterprise - 1 day ago
  • 24,000-Acre Lake Fire Flares Up in San Bernardino Mountains; New Evacuations Ordered

    Firefighters are seen battling the Lake Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest. (Credit: Loudlabs)
    Firefighters are seen battling the Lake Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest. (Credit: Loudlabs)
    New evacuation orders were issued after a week-long brush fire that has burned more than 36 square miles in the San Bernarndino Mountains south of Big Bear flared up on Wednesday, authorities said.
    Whipped by strong winds, the Lake Fire rapidly spread during the afternoon hours, prompting mandatory evacuations to be ordered in the areas of Burns Canyon and Rimrock, according to InciWeb, a website maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies.
    The community of Pioneertown has also been placed under a voluntary evacuation order.
    A shelter for evacuees is operating at Copper Mountain College, which is located at 6162 Rotary Way in Yucca Valley, InciWeb stated.
    Additionally, some 360 campers were evacuated from the Camp Oakes in the Lake Williams area as a precautionary measure, according to the website.
    The campers were evacuated to an American Red Cross evacuation center located at 40946 Big Bear Blvd. — the Big Bear Community Church — in the city of Big Bear.
    Since the fire broke out on June 17, numerous evacuations have been ordered and remained in effect in all areas east of Angelus Oaks, including Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Heart Bar and homes off Rainbow Lane.
    Additionally, all cabins and campgrounds in the South Fork area were also under evacuation orders.
    Highway 38 between Angelus Oaks and Lake Williams would also remain closed indefinitely because of reduced visibility and firefighting efforts, according to InciWeb.
    The blaze has also prompted officials to close all hiking trails into the San Gorgonio Wilderness area, as well as the Pacific Crest Trail from Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit.
    The Lake Fire began in the Barton Flats area and later spread into the San Gorgonio Wilderness. According to the latest figures provided by the San Bernardino National Forest 23,199 on Thursday morning, the wildfire has burned 23, acres and is just 21 percent contained.
    The previous evening, the acreage was estimated at 20,875, or more than 32 square miles, was was at 27 percent containment.
    Although hundreds of structures were threatened by the massive blaze, no buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
    Four firefighters have been injured battling the blaze, according to InciWeb which did not provide information about the extent of the injuries and the conditions of the firefighters.
    The cause of the massive blaze remained under investigation.
    Check back for updates on this developing story.

    The San Bernardino National Forest tweeted this map of the Lake Fire on June 25, 2015.
    The San Bernardino National Forest tweeted this map of the Lake Fire on June 25, 2015.
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