When the two fires United on there way to Big Bear, I was worried that they were going to get the timber that was all dead from the Bark Beetle!! It is just to bad that they have not taken care of those pests so far. I know that there is such a large cost related to the control or attempted control of the bark beetle in their own habitate. It is also strange that the global warming is being blamed all on what we are doing, but nature has the bark beetle eathing and killing all the trees. If the trees that were effected were to ever burn that would cause a bit of global warming to would it not?
I don't know I am just a person not a scientest!!
BSRanch
I don't know I am just a person not a scientest!!
BSRanch
Fires Unite but Veer From Big Bear
Resort towns in the San Bernardino Mountains appear to be safe -- for now, officials say.
YUCCA VALLEY — A massive wildfire heading directly toward Big Bear Lake was diverted Friday as nearly 3,000 firefighters, aided by a shift in winds, beat back the inferno in temperatures reaching 112 degrees.
Fire officials said there seemed little chance that flames would reach the resort community and other forest towns in the San Bernardino Mountains, which remained under an ominous shroud of gray smoke most of the day.
Fire officials said there seemed little chance that flames would reach the resort community and other forest towns in the San Bernardino Mountains, which remained under an ominous shroud of gray smoke most of the day.
"With the winds and weather and the work being done by the firefighters, the probability of the fire reaching Big Bear is low," said Tracey Martinez, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
"But we are keeping a close eye on the fire and are prepared to respond wherever it goes."
By Friday afternoon, the 59,000-acre Sawtooth Complex fire combined with a second, 10,000-acre blaze that was barely half a mile away, a minor setback for fire officials.
They feared that the firestorm's blistering heat could affect weather patterns and cause the fire to behave erratically, although the combined blaze will allow for a streamlined firefighting effort.
"What it will do for us is we will have one fire and not have to fight on two fronts," said Becki Redwine of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Sawtooth fire ignited after a lightning strike Sunday and has grown swiftly, sometimes consuming hundreds of acres of desert per hour. As many as 1,000 people were evacuated and 56 houses and 163 other buildings were destroyed. But firefighters had managed to dig lines around parts of the blaze, which was 35% contained.
Mandatory evacuations remained in effect Friday for Burns Canyon, Rimrock and a small area of Morongo Valley with about 20 homes, officials said. Evacuation orders were lifted for Pioneertown, Skyline Ranch, Pipes Canyon and Gamma Gulch.
The fire, which had been visible from Yucca Valley and Highway 62 in Morongo Valley, was burning away from major population centers. Firefighters supported by constant helicopter and air tanker sorties had largely extinguished flames in and around Pioneertown, which has seen the most destruction.
Many of the 341 residents returned to the historic Wild West themed-town Friday to check on their property.
Despite the massive destruction of fences, garages, landscaping and desert plants, most of the homes suffered little external damage. Many sat surrounded by desert and blackened Joshua trees.
Some weren't so fortunate. There were incinerated homes with nothing left but a spiral staircase, a birdcage, a wheelbarrow and, in one case, a rubber Ronald Reagan mask that somehow survived.
Scott Pasby and Ted Bigley came home expecting the worst but didn't find it. Not that there weren't problems.
Their back fence, the grape vines, the big brass elephants, the picnic table, the gazebo, the Jacuzzi and tiki bar were torched. But the house was unscathed.
"I feel very, very relieved and very, very happy. I got off pretty darn lightly," said Pasby, 47, an artist.
Firefighters hoped to dig a 30-mile fire line around the blaze, but their efforts have been hampered by strong winds and rugged terrain. So far, roughly 3,000 firefighters from all over the state are involved.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared San Bernardino County a disaster area.
The fires created air quality considered unhealthful in the Coachella Valley and portions of the San Bernardino Mountains. Officials with the Air Quality Management District urged people in those areas to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities.
With the fires stalled several miles to the east and south of Big Bear, firefighters in the San Bernardino Mountains went on the offensive Friday morning, cutting roads and clearing brush from rural homes and crucial communication towers atop Onyx Peak, about 15 miles east of the resort community.
"But we are keeping a close eye on the fire and are prepared to respond wherever it goes."
By Friday afternoon, the 59,000-acre Sawtooth Complex fire combined with a second, 10,000-acre blaze that was barely half a mile away, a minor setback for fire officials.
They feared that the firestorm's blistering heat could affect weather patterns and cause the fire to behave erratically, although the combined blaze will allow for a streamlined firefighting effort.
"What it will do for us is we will have one fire and not have to fight on two fronts," said Becki Redwine of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Sawtooth fire ignited after a lightning strike Sunday and has grown swiftly, sometimes consuming hundreds of acres of desert per hour. As many as 1,000 people were evacuated and 56 houses and 163 other buildings were destroyed. But firefighters had managed to dig lines around parts of the blaze, which was 35% contained.
Mandatory evacuations remained in effect Friday for Burns Canyon, Rimrock and a small area of Morongo Valley with about 20 homes, officials said. Evacuation orders were lifted for Pioneertown, Skyline Ranch, Pipes Canyon and Gamma Gulch.
The fire, which had been visible from Yucca Valley and Highway 62 in Morongo Valley, was burning away from major population centers. Firefighters supported by constant helicopter and air tanker sorties had largely extinguished flames in and around Pioneertown, which has seen the most destruction.
Many of the 341 residents returned to the historic Wild West themed-town Friday to check on their property.
Despite the massive destruction of fences, garages, landscaping and desert plants, most of the homes suffered little external damage. Many sat surrounded by desert and blackened Joshua trees.
Some weren't so fortunate. There were incinerated homes with nothing left but a spiral staircase, a birdcage, a wheelbarrow and, in one case, a rubber Ronald Reagan mask that somehow survived.
Scott Pasby and Ted Bigley came home expecting the worst but didn't find it. Not that there weren't problems.
Their back fence, the grape vines, the big brass elephants, the picnic table, the gazebo, the Jacuzzi and tiki bar were torched. But the house was unscathed.
"I feel very, very relieved and very, very happy. I got off pretty darn lightly," said Pasby, 47, an artist.
Firefighters hoped to dig a 30-mile fire line around the blaze, but their efforts have been hampered by strong winds and rugged terrain. So far, roughly 3,000 firefighters from all over the state are involved.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared San Bernardino County a disaster area.
The fires created air quality considered unhealthful in the Coachella Valley and portions of the San Bernardino Mountains. Officials with the Air Quality Management District urged people in those areas to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities.
With the fires stalled several miles to the east and south of Big Bear, firefighters in the San Bernardino Mountains went on the offensive Friday morning, cutting roads and clearing brush from rural homes and crucial communication towers atop Onyx Peak, about 15 miles east of the resort community.
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