Lake
Arrowhead
Fire
Information
Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of these fires.
"GRASS VALLEY FIRE" - Wednesday,
OCTOBER 24, 2007"
LAKE ARROWHEAD - The fire's western
flank has been significantly slowed due to the winds "dying down."
Officials while still concerned with the fire reaching Dart Canyon
(Eastern Crestline, Lake Gregory) to the West, they are continuing
to watch for spot fires and gas line fires in the burned areas.
The Santa Ana Winds have died down and we should return to our
usual on-shore flow to cool things down and bring the humidity
back up from 12% to normal levels, about 30%. Mandatory evacuation
remains in effect from Lake Arrowheadto Crestline. Valley
of Enchantment and Cedar Pines Park are still under voluntary
evacuation.
"SLIDE FIRE" - Wednesday, OCTOBER
24, 2007"
RUNNING SPRINGS - Tuesday brought devastation for Running Springs
in the Live Oak, Nob Hill, and Smiley Park areas. About 300 homes
have been lost to fire from Green Valley Lake to the Twin Peaks
- the majority of which were lost in the Running Springs area
yesterday.
For up-to-date information regarding the 2007 mountain fires,
check rimoftheworld.net.
"THE OLD FIRE" - OCTOBER, 2003
LAKE ARROWHEAD – Authorities
were looking for an arsonist Tuesday who may have set at least
one of five small forest fires that erupted and were quickly doused
near this mountain resort community.
Arson was also blamed for October's weeklong Old Fire that killed
four people, burned 91,281 acres and destroyed 993 homes as it
swept through the San Bernardino Mountains' bark beetle-devastated
stands of dead and dying trees about 60 miles northeast of Los
Angeles.
On Monday, some 120 firefighters responded to 9:30 a.m. alarms
near State Highway 189, west of Lake Arrowhead near the town of
Twin Peaks. The fires were each a quarter- to half-acre in size
and burned southwest toward Crestline, said Sgt. Rick Whitehead
of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Most of the
fires appeared to only burn grass and did not get into trees.
At least one of the fires was deemed suspicious, while another
may be have been caused by a faulty power line in the area, said
Maria Daniels, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman. Authorities were
investigating the cause of all the fires.
A witness told authorities that he saw a man wearing goggles and
carrying a duffel bag near the fires, which were about a quarter-mile
apart from one another, Whitehead said. There have been a number
of licensed contractors in the area for months leveling parts
of the forest of dead trees.
"The fact that this guy was coming out of the forest alone
raises suspicion," Whitehead said. "People are on pins
and needles up here. Anything dealing with smoke or fire is going
to get a quick reaction."
Last month, a controlled burn turned into a 350-acre forest fire
in the San Bernardino Mountains and forced the evacuation of the
Bear Mountain and Snow Summit ski resorts. Some residents said
they were not notified and others were upset that firefighters
lost control.
Costs associated with fighting and recovery from the 2003 firestorms
known as the Old, Grand Prix and Padua fires have climbed to at
least $1.2 billion and authorities are still counting. In an 18-page
report released Monday by the U.S. Forest Service, the agency
provided an inside look into the local, regional, national and
societal costs of fighting and recovery efforts after the fires.
The report does not track expenditures such as the loss of income
generating capacity, lost recreation opportunities, and degradation
of ecosystem services such as clean water. Figures for local fire
departments such as Crest Forest Fire, Running Springs and Big
Bear Lake-are also not included although some of the costs were
reimbursed by various government agencies. But the fact remains
the fires strained the budgets of each of the independent fire
agencies in the mountain communities. The study, compiled by the
Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station in Riverside,
was the first in-depth study of the three firestorms that burned
over 150,000 acres during October and November of 2003. The Old,
Grand Prix and Padua fires caused the evacuation of more than
100,000 people and destroyed 1,000 homes.
The Grand Prix fire and the Old fire began miles apart from each
other on different days. These two fires eventually joined as
they swept down the on the Incident Command Post. With Santa Ana
winds howling, these two fires ripped through subdivisions at
the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. The fire ran through
foothill communities of Devore, Lytle Creek, Del Rosa, Rancho
Cucamonga. The Old Fire looked like a repeat of the 1980 Panorama
fire, which destroyed 325 homes. The western flank of the Grand
Prix fire crossed into Los Angeles County. With a vengeance, it
threatened one subdivision after another. Finally, the winds died
down enough to go on the offensive. With the ceasing of the east
winds it was only a matter of time before the prevailing west
winds would surface and the vulnerable forest communities including
Crest Forest, Running Springs, Lake Arrowhead, Cedar Glen and
Mt. Baldy Village would be threatened. The race was on. Law enforcement
implemented the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce (MAST) evacuation
plan which had been written only months before. Firefighters scrambled
into the diseased forest to protect the homes and backfire off
of Highway 18 under worsening conditions. Hundreds of homes were
destroyed, but thousands were saved. No burn fatalities occurred
as the largest evacuation ins San Bernardino County's history
was successfully completed.
These resources provide information Lake Arrowhead area fires:
Rim
of the World.net - Discussion Forums, Affected Areas,
FEMA Assistance, Post Disaster Awareness, How to Find Out About
Your Home.
San
Bernardino Joint Information Center - Fire Maps, Evacuation
Updates,
Fire Updates, Demographic Data, and Much More.
San
Bernardino National Forest - Old and Grand Prix Fire Info,
Photos.
Information
for Lake Arrowhead Area Residents - Where to Get Mail, Where
to Vote,
Scam Prevention, Lodging.
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