LAKE FIRE BURNS 7,500 ACRES IN SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS
06/18/2015
A rapidly growing wildfire in the San Bernardino Mountains south of Big Bear Lake burned nearly 12 square miles and prompted mandatory evacuations on Thursday, reports KTLA Los Angeles.
The so-called "Lake Fire" was reported Wednesday around 4 p.m. and was burning east of Camp De Benneville Pines south of Jenks Lane Road, a multi-agency website that provides updated information on large fires on federal land.
Smoke was towering over the San Bernardino National Forest’s Barton Flats Visitor Center, where a fire command post was set up.
"It's extremely steep, treacherous terrain up there. It's up in the wilderness. There's lots of down and dead fuel, vegetation," said Brian Grant of the U.S. Forest Service. "There's a lot of fire up there."
As of just before noon Thursday, the blaze had grown to 7,500 acres and remained just 5 percent contained, the site stated.
The flames, which were largely fueled by timber and grass, were spreading at a moderate-to-rapid rate, according to InciWeb.
Grant said there were no significant fires on record for the area, so there was a lot of fuel available.
The timber fire was particularly challenging for firefighters, who were faced with the threat of entrapment, said Chon Bribiescas of the U.S. Forest Service.
San Bernardino County fire crews described the blaze’s behavior as "erratic" and “extreme.†The fire grew from 100 to 1,000 acres overnight, then to 1,500 by mid-morning. The acreage estimate then quintupled in about three hours.
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