UPDATE 6-19-15
Firefighters continued battling the Lake Fire today along the northern boundary of the San Gorgonio Wilderness in steep rocky terrain. It is currently 15,000 acres and is 10 percent contained. About 150 structures are threatened. Fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft are battling the fire from the air with numerous water drops and retardant. Over 1,200 firefighters, including two strike teams from our local fire stations, are battling the blaze. Highway 38 is closed from Angelus Oaks to Lake Williams. Jenks Lake Road is closed. Evacuations include areas east of Angelus Oaks including Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Rainbow Lane, Heart Bar, and all cabins and campgrounds in the South Fork area. All hiking trails into the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area have been closed due to the proximity of the fire to them. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is closed from Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit. The cause of the fire is still unknown. For more information about the fire, call the US Forest Service at 909-383-5688 or go online at www.inciweb.nwcg.gov.
The Sheriff’s Department rescued 74-year-old Stanley Reese of Dana Point Thursday morning, Reese was on day 2 of a three-day backpacking trip near the fire. The Sheriff’s Department said Reese activated an emergency GPS notification beacon about 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning to indicate he was in trouble. By the time the Sheriff’s helicopter found Reese and airlifted him to safety, the Lake Fire was about a quarter-mile away.
UPDATE: A smoke advisory has been issued for the Morongo Basin due to the Lake Fire burning just south of Big Bear. If you see or smell smoke, be cautious and use common sense to protect your family’s health. Everyone—especially people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children—should limit their time spent outdoors and avoid outdoor exercise when smoke is in the area. If you experience repeated coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, difficulty breathing, or chest tightness or pain, contact your doctor.
Smoke from a wildfire that ignited Wednesday afternoon in the Barton Flats area of the San Bernardino Mountains is filling the skies at the west end of the Morongo basin. The blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, has grown to 7,500 acres as of noon today and was 5 percent contained according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire ignited about 4 p.m. near Highway 38 and Jenks Lake Road, just a few miles south of Big Bear. A brush engine with three firefighters from Yucca Valley’s fire station 41 went to help fight the blaze yesterday. Roughly 178 people have been evacuated from camping areas, and the Pacific Crest Trail from Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit is closed. Structures at the camps are threatened but no damages have been reported. The closest full time residents are miles away, but many camps, camping areas and cabins are located between the fire line and the full-time homes to the northeast. The fire’s cause hasn’t been determined. For additional information about the fire call the US Forest Service at 909-383-5688 or go online at inciweb.nwcg.gov
