Butler 2 Fire scorches 14,000 acres
State of emergency declared; 5,000 evacuated
FAWNSKIN — The entire resort community of Green Valley Lake and the Fawnskin area near Big Bear Dam were ordered evacuated Saturday as an out-of-control wildfire tore through brush and timber in the San Bernardino National Forest.
About 5,000 people live in the two areas, according to Jim Wilkins of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The fire, which is being called the Butler 2 Fire, was burning near the site of the first Butler Fire, an 85-acre blaze that was sparked by lightning on Sept. 1 in an area west of Big Bear Lake.
A report Saturday afternoon put the acreage burned at 18,000, but after more mapping was done, the burned acreage was reassessed at 14,000 acres, according to a statement from Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department at 10:30 p.m.
At that time, the fire was 5 percent contained and was not threatening Lucerne Valley, although a voluntary evacuation was called for a portion of the area. Structure protection was in place Saturday night for the south side of Lucerne Valley just in case, according to
Martinez.
States of emergency have been declared by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, clearing the way for state government assistance with costs related to the fire.
“Besides making the fire a top priority for all county agencies, the proclamation is the essential first step toward securing state and federal disaster assistance. Such assistance may become immediately necessary in the event of damage to residential, commercial or public property,” said county spokesman David Wert.
First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt spent much of the day at San Bernardino County Fire Department Station 111 in Lucerne Valley, where firefighters and locals were preparing for the worst.
“If history is any indicator, at night the fire runs downhill towards our valleys,” Mitzelfelt said. “So that’s what they’re preparing for.
They’ve got a strike team in place and they’re sending bulldozers up there in case it comes over the ridge.”
The fire, which was first reported around 1:30 p.m. Friday, had crept within a half-mile of some homes by Saturday evening, Wilkins said, but firefighters were able to block its southern progress toward populated areas. It was burning freely in the north and west. The fire burned several outbuildings at a campground.
Fire officials have also evacuated the Camp Whittle, Hannah Flats, Big Pine Flats and Ironwood campgrounds.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of extreme fire conditions throughout much of Southern California into Sunday, and the fire was pushed by 20-mph winds through dense brush dried out by extremely low humidity.
“It’s just been running and gunning all day long, eating up ground,” Wilkins said. “It’s a very aggressive fire burning through fuels that haven’t been burned in 50 to 75 years.”
About 630 firefighters were aided Saturday by water drops from helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and a DC-10 capable of dropping 24,000 gallons at a time as they battled the blaze, which was burning in steep terrain.
The aircraft were grounded for the night at about 7:30 p.m., but hand crews were set to work through the night.
The blaze formed a column of smoke so large that its effects were being felt as far away as Las Vegas, authorities said.
Its cause was under investigation.
In San Diego County, about 400 people were ordered out of homes in Whispering Pines, a subdivision of the historic town of Julian, after a 500-acre wildfire erupted northeast of town shortly after 1:30 p.m., county sheriff’s officials said.
Winds that peaked at 15 mph caused embers to rain down ahead of the advancing flames but the winds began to ease at dusk.
By nightfall, the flames had run completely through the subdivision. An empty vacation home was destroyed, said Jan Caldwell of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
The flames were moving east toward sparsely populated desert.
“The communities are still threatened but right now the wind is pushing the fire away,” said Matt Streck of the California Department of Forestry.
Two firefighters were hospitalized with moderate injuries when the top of a burning tree fell and hit them on the head but their injuries were not considered life-threatening, Streck said.
Also on Saturday, crews were mopping up a fire that charred 2,170 acres in a remote mountainous area east of San Diego. The blaze in the Cleveland National Forest was 95 percent contained, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Audrey Hagen said.
The fire was started by an illegal campfire Wednesday afternoon and spread rapidly due to drought conditions. It remained about two miles from Pine Valley, a hamlet 40 miles east of San Diego and a few miles north of the Mexican border.
One firefighter suffered burns on the ear and hand, and another suffered heat-related injuries.
About 5,000 people live in the two areas, according to Jim Wilkins of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The fire, which is being called the Butler 2 Fire, was burning near the site of the first Butler Fire, an 85-acre blaze that was sparked by lightning on Sept. 1 in an area west of Big Bear Lake.
A report Saturday afternoon put the acreage burned at 18,000, but after more mapping was done, the burned acreage was reassessed at 14,000 acres, according to a statement from Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department at 10:30 p.m.
At that time, the fire was 5 percent contained and was not threatening Lucerne Valley, although a voluntary evacuation was called for a portion of the area. Structure protection was in place Saturday night for the south side of Lucerne Valley just in case, according to
Martinez.
States of emergency have been declared by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, clearing the way for state government assistance with costs related to the fire.
“Besides making the fire a top priority for all county agencies, the proclamation is the essential first step toward securing state and federal disaster assistance. Such assistance may become immediately necessary in the event of damage to residential, commercial or public property,” said county spokesman David Wert.
First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt spent much of the day at San Bernardino County Fire Department Station 111 in Lucerne Valley, where firefighters and locals were preparing for the worst.
“If history is any indicator, at night the fire runs downhill towards our valleys,” Mitzelfelt said. “So that’s what they’re preparing for.
They’ve got a strike team in place and they’re sending bulldozers up there in case it comes over the ridge.”
The fire, which was first reported around 1:30 p.m. Friday, had crept within a half-mile of some homes by Saturday evening, Wilkins said, but firefighters were able to block its southern progress toward populated areas. It was burning freely in the north and west. The fire burned several outbuildings at a campground.
Fire officials have also evacuated the Camp Whittle, Hannah Flats, Big Pine Flats and Ironwood campgrounds.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of extreme fire conditions throughout much of Southern California into Sunday, and the fire was pushed by 20-mph winds through dense brush dried out by extremely low humidity.
“It’s just been running and gunning all day long, eating up ground,” Wilkins said. “It’s a very aggressive fire burning through fuels that haven’t been burned in 50 to 75 years.”
About 630 firefighters were aided Saturday by water drops from helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and a DC-10 capable of dropping 24,000 gallons at a time as they battled the blaze, which was burning in steep terrain.
The aircraft were grounded for the night at about 7:30 p.m., but hand crews were set to work through the night.
The blaze formed a column of smoke so large that its effects were being felt as far away as Las Vegas, authorities said.
Its cause was under investigation.
In San Diego County, about 400 people were ordered out of homes in Whispering Pines, a subdivision of the historic town of Julian, after a 500-acre wildfire erupted northeast of town shortly after 1:30 p.m., county sheriff’s officials said.
Winds that peaked at 15 mph caused embers to rain down ahead of the advancing flames but the winds began to ease at dusk.
By nightfall, the flames had run completely through the subdivision. An empty vacation home was destroyed, said Jan Caldwell of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
The flames were moving east toward sparsely populated desert.
“The communities are still threatened but right now the wind is pushing the fire away,” said Matt Streck of the California Department of Forestry.
Two firefighters were hospitalized with moderate injuries when the top of a burning tree fell and hit them on the head but their injuries were not considered life-threatening, Streck said.
Also on Saturday, crews were mopping up a fire that charred 2,170 acres in a remote mountainous area east of San Diego. The blaze in the Cleveland National Forest was 95 percent contained, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Audrey Hagen said.
The fire was started by an illegal campfire Wednesday afternoon and spread rapidly due to drought conditions. It remained about two miles from Pine Valley, a hamlet 40 miles east of San Diego and a few miles north of the Mexican border.
One firefighter suffered burns on the ear and hand, and another suffered heat-related injuries.
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