Update: The Butler fire was 100% contained by Sept 24th!

Butler Peak Fire Incident #2

Update/recap as of 3pm Wednesday, September 19: Great progress has been made on the Butler #2 Fire and, though there are still areas burning, containment is at 86% as of last night, and total burned acreage has been held to 14,039 acres.
The voluntary evacuations for Lucerne Valley, Green Valley, Running Springs and Arrowbear were lifted as of last night. The mandatory evacuation for residents of Fawnskin does remain in place at this time.
As of this morning, there are over 2,300 personnel on scene, and those firefighting forces include 70 hand crews, 164 fire engines, 8 dozers, 28 water tenders, and 17 helicopters.
Lee Bentley of the U.S. Forest Service, stationed at Incident Command in Snow Valley, tells KBHR that those numbers will probably change later today, as fire status may allow for demobilization of some fire personnel. “This thing is looking real good,” Bentley notes, “as long as the winds stay the same.”
The wind factor does remain an issue today, as there is a High Wind Advisory for the San Bernardino Mountains through 11am Friday. The National Weather Service reports that the High Wind Advisory could mean gusts as high as 35 miles per hour in our area. At present, local humidity is at 11%, and winds at the KBHR studios in Big Bear City have already been as high as 20 miles an hour.
Due to these factors, and the fact that there are still areas that are burning on the Butler #2 Fire, which brings with it a possibility of blowing embers, there is no return date for Fawnskin residents at this time. John Miller of the U.S. Forest Service tells us that the mandatory evacuation order for Fawnskin will absolutely not be lifted today.
We have been in Fawnskin this afternoon, and the good news is that all homes remain intact. There are engine crews staged throughout neighborhoods, should conditions change. Though there is not much in the way of visible burn scarring from downtown Fawnskin, there are surrounding areas as close as a ¼ mile away that continue to smolder and burn.
Spot fires continue to burn on Arctic Circle. When we were on scene in the last hour, we did see flames just off the roadway. Helicopter water drops continue in the area, and hand crews are hard at work in the steep terrain off Highway 18. The Arctic Circle is lined with fire engines. CalTrans trucks are also there, clearing the rocks, debris, and burned vegetation that has rolled down the slope and onto 18. For this reason, and ongoing concerns for public safety, there is no estimated reopen date for Highway 18 from Running Springs to the Big Bear Dam.

As of this morning, we still have needs requests from firefighters at work on the Butler #2 Fire. Items on their wish list include eyedrops, Gold Bond foot powder, eight-hour sunscreen, chapstick and Carmex. These items can be dropped off at the Chamber of Commerce, located at 630 Bartlett Road in the Village, until 5pm. Thank you!