Lake Arrowhead Fire updates from Rim of the world net

Monday, October 22, 2007

Lake Arrowhead Fire updates from Rim of the world net

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All Mountain Roads Closed

Update: 12:40 PM

Crestline - The California Highway Patrol has closed all mountain roadways, including Highway 18, 330, 138, and 173, to non-emergency upbound traffic. Evacuees are being sent to the Orange Show Fairgrounds, 689 S. E St. San Bernardino, CA, 92408.

Highway 18 is closed between Big Bear Dam and Running Springs and in Rimforest.

Rimforest Fire

Update 12:57 PM

A fire has been reported in Rimforest near Scenic and Valley View. The fire is about 1/2 acre with a slow rate of spread. The fire appears to be inside the area of Sunday's fire.

Crest Forest Fire Department is unable to respond to threatened structures within their jurisdiction, however it is not clear from the scanner chatter where the threat is occurring.

Homes Lost in Lake Arrowhead Area

Update 1:20 PM

Lake Arrowhead - According to reports, the voluntary evacuation has been extended to Crestline.

Shortly before 1 PM, the fire was reported near Fairway and Eldorado. Firefighter are concerned about the fire spreading past that point into the Twin Peaks area. Firefighters are also reporting water pressure problems near Sonoma and Black Oak.

There are multiple reports of structures on fire on Brentwood and Pinehurst in Lake Arrowhead and near Grass Valley Golf Course. Accoring to television news reports, at least 30 homes have been lost. Earlier today residents called 9-1-1 reporting that their homes are on fire. Dispatchers could only them to evacuate. At the time, there were insufficient fire fighting resources in the area to extinguish the structure fires. At 9:45 AM, a flare up was reported in the Deer Lodge Park area sending up a large smoke plume. At 9:53 AM, a resident reported fire at the rear of residences along the 26000-block of Amador Lane in Lake Arrowhead with no firefighters nearby. Firefighters near Amador and Trinity were driven back by the fire and had to retreat to a safe zone. The fire is crossing Brentwood as of 10:03 AM. The next threat is to Sandalwood.

1,500 residences are threatened in the Lake Arrowhead area, according to officials.

Evacuations have been ordered for parts of Grass Valley, Trinity Tract, Modoc, Dear Lodge, Black Oaks Drive, and Brentwood in Lake Arrowhead. A voluntary evacuation has been ordered for the Twin Peaks area. There are reports of large "milk carton sized" embers falling in the Twin Peaks area.

The fire is burning in the old wood chipping area along Highway 173 and spreading westward. Structure protection task forces are in the Brentwood, Sanoma, and Trinity areas of Lake Arrowhead.

Grass Valley Road is closed at Five Points. Many roads are blocked in the area due to downed power lines and tree. Downed phone lines are preventing residents from being notified of the evacuations from the automated TENS calling system.

As of 9 AM, the fire was reported to be about 200 acres in size with a rapid rate of spread and no containment. It is burning to the northwest side of Grass Valley Road and the northwest side of Edge Cliff Drive near the power plant area, according to scanner reports. The fire is well established in an inaccessible area of the Grass Valley drainage. The fire was first reported shortly after 5 AM.

Green Valley Lake Fires Burn At Least Four Homes

Update: 1:35 PM

Green Valley Lake - Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Green Valley Lake, Arrowbear Lake, and Running Springs.

At 10:05 AM, firefighters report at least three structures burning in the Green Valley Lake area. According to reports from the San Bernardino Sun, three homes were lost on Holcomb Creek Drive. It is not known where the fourth home was lost. Another 400 homes are threatened in the Green Valley Lake Area.

A pair of fires were reported shortly after 8 AM. The fires have very quickly grown to be between 75 and 100 acres. There are reports of imminent threats to structures in Green Valley Lake. One fire was reported to be approximatly 1 mile in on Forest Service Road 2N13. The fire was reported to be about 1/2 acre in size. The second fire was reported at Deep Creek and Green Valley Lake Rd. The fire is reported to be headed toward Crab Creek. Aircraft are on order, but wind conditions may prevent their deployment.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

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CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Monday, October 22, 2007