The out-of-control Line fire grew to 17,459 acres on Sunday morning, with zero containment and additional evacuation warnings issued as the number of homes threatened soared.
The total number of homes and structures at risk in the region jumped to 35,405, Cal Fire said in its Sunday morning update.
“Thunderstorm outflow winds are causing very erratic behavior and vegetation is critically dry,” Cal Fire said in its update. “The fire will start out under smoky skies today which will help moderate fire behavior, but as smoke clears through the afternoon, fire activity will once again pick up. Smoke remains a challenge for aircraft, limiting access to parts of the fire.
Map: This is where the Line fire is burning near Highland
“Limited resources and logistical support have hampered fire control efforts,” Cal fire added. “Hot and dry conditions mixed with thunderstorms are expected to challenge firefighters for the next few days.”
On Saturday, the agency noted that the steep terrain and lack of access impacted crews’ ability to access some areas of the blaze.
The fire in the San Bernardino Mountains, including in the San Bernardino National Forest, prompted the closure of Highway 330 between Highland and Running Springs. The fire jumped to the west side of the 330 about 5 miles above the Highland/San Bernardino area. Also on Saturday evening, Highway 18 was closed going northbound from Kuffle Canyon to Running Springs, Caltrans said.
The structures threatened included single and multi-family homes and commercial buildings, Cal Fire said.
As of 9:45 a.m., evacuation warnings were announced for Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks and Mountain Home Village.
See map with evacuation orders and warnings
At Noble Creek Park in Beaumont on Sunday, the base camp for firefighters battling the four-day old Line Fire, the air was clear, as it was upwind of the towering plume of smoke to the west, which darkened as the day went on.
Firefighters and first responders dug in for a long siege, setting up meal facilities and arranging for hotel accommodations for fellow fire firefighters who had come from as far away as Merced to battle the blaze.
“I’m exceptionally proud of all of our team that is standing up our efforts to support our residents, both in Highland as well as our mountain communities,” said Dawn Rowe, San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors chairperson, whose First District includes most of those affected by the Line Fire. “Everyone, please heed those (evacuation) warnings and stay safe.”
West of the fire, at the evacuation site in Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, everything was sepia-toned on Sunday, as sunlight filtered through a thick haze of wood smoke.
Between 65 and 70 people evacuated from the Line Fire slept at the church, at 28355 Base Line St., on Saturday night, according to Ricardo Tomboc, the Red Cross shelter supervisor. The shelter is feeding 35 to 40 additional people, he said.
Health officials warned that everyone who could should stay indoors. Shortly after 11 a.m., Redlands Unified, which serves many of the students in Highland, canceled all classes on Monday, Sept. 9.
It took Stephen Michael King, who has lived in the San Bernardino Mountains for about a decade, 6 1/2 hours to get from Running Springs to the shelter in Highland on Saturday. The 31-mile journey normally takes about 45 minutes.
He slept the night at Immanuel Baptist — technically. “Well, it depends on how you define sleep,” he said. He got “about three hours.”
King says he normally doesn’t evacuate, but times are changing.
“We can get 300-foot flame lengths, just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers. “One minute the fire is a couple miles away, next thing you know — boom — it’s on ya.”
The fire largely burned in grass up to 2 1/2 feet tall and chaparral up to 6 feet. It generated massive volumes of smoke that spread through the Inland area and parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties, prompting the South Coast Air Quality Management District to extend a smoke advisory.
The fire was so intense on Saturday it created its own clouds and associated lightning strikes, the National Weather Service said.
On Sunday, Cal Fire listed the following road closures:
- Highway 18 is currently closed from Kuffel Canyon to the Big Bear Dam. If you are in Running Springs, you are able to get out but you will not be allowed back in.
- Additionally, Highway 330 remains closed from Highland Avenue to Highway 18 in Running Springs.Highway 18 is closed going northbound (inbound) from Kuffel Canyon to Running Springs.Only southbound (outbound) traffic is allowed.
- Highway 18 is closed from Running Springs to Highway 38 (Big Bear Dam).
- Highway 330 is closed from Highland Ave to Highway 18 in Running Springs.
- Garnet Street closed at SR-38 in Mentone.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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