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Tag: line fire

  • Line fire flare-up tips California over a grim milestone: 1 million acres burned in 2024

    Line fire flare-up tips California over a grim milestone: 1 million acres burned in 2024

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    The flare-up of the Line fire worsened Monday as evacuation orders expanded and firefighters lost some ground on containment of the San Bernardino County wildfire.

    The new acres charred also pushed California across a grim milestone: 1 million acres burned in 2024.

    The Line fire, which has been burning in San Bernardino County for almost a month, began spreading faster over the weekend due to abnormally warm temperatures that sucked moisture from vegetation and the air, according to Cal Fire. Containment of the fire slipped from 83% to 78% as of late Monday.

    “Firefighters had expected some movement” of the fire, but its behavior “exceeded expectations,” said Cal Fire in a Monday update.

    The Red Cross opened a new evacuation shelter at Apple Valley Conference Center on Monday to support those affected by the Line fire, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The center is at 14975 Dale Evans Parkway. The evacuation shelter at Redlands East Valley High School, 31000 E. Colton Ave., remained open.

    The Line fire has now burned a total of 43,459 acres — which along with previous fires, including the ongoing Bridge and Airport fires — has pushed the total acres burned in California this year to 1,000,181 as of late Monday, according to Cal Fire.

    This surpasses by far the total acres burned during the same time period last year — 293,362 — but is roughly on par with the five-year average for the period.

    The devastating Park fire in Northern California contributed significantly to the milestone, burning almost 430,000 acres between July 24 and Sept. 26 when it reached full containment. It is the fourth-largest fire in California history, according to Cal Fire.

    So far this fire season, a total of 1,433 structures have been destroyed, and one fatality has been reported, the agency said.

    The Line fire has damaged or destroyed five structures and resulted in four firefighter injuries. The suspected arson fire started on Sept. 5, and an arrest has been made.

    On Sunday, residents in Seven Oaks and the Barton Flats area were ordered to evacuate because of the immediate threat of the fire. On Monday this order was expanded to include Angelus Oaks and the community of Big Bear Lake, including Moonridge, Sugarloaf and south Erwin Lake.

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    Clara Harter

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  • Fall baking! SoCal temperatures are set to soar above normal. How high will they go?

    Fall baking! SoCal temperatures are set to soar above normal. How high will they go?

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    For a minute there, it felt like fall.

    But even as October kicks off, the cool weather reprieve is ending, and Southern California is going to see temperatures climb into the extreme range again, forecasters say.

    “There is some potential for record-breaking heat,” said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

    Highs in some areas could soar into the triple digits.

    Temperatures this week in Southern California are expected to be about 10 degrees above normal, according to the weather service. Parts of Los Angeles County will begin to see high temperatures starting Tuesday, with Wednesday the hottest day of the week, Hall said.

    Palmdale and Lancaster are among the areas that could see records fall.

    Hall said L.A. County usually sees warm weather this time of year, but the Santa Ana winds have not yet arrived, and cloudy weather has kept the region cooler.

    Last October, the state faced a heat wave that drove temperatures across Southern California 15 degrees above normal and brought record heat to Northern California.

    Hall said that after the heat peaks on Wednesday, cooler temperatures should arrive later in the week.

    Woodland Hills is expecting a high of 105 degrees on Wednesday, and Burbank could see 97, Hall said. The weather service issued an excessive heat advisory beginning Tuesday through Wednesday evening for the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, with temperatures reaching as high as 106.

    Other parts of Southern California will also face triple-digit temperatures. Ojai is expected to hit 105 on Tuesday and Wednesday, while residents in Paso Robles could see temperatures reach 108. San Luis Obispo will see temperatures as high as 100 on those days as well.

    Hall advised residents to be cognizant of the hot weather and avoid outdoor activity, or confine their activity to the early morning hours.

    There is also an elevated fire risk with the rising temperatures, Hall said. But there are no high winds in the forecast that could drive the fire risk even higher.

    Firefighters are still working on fully containing three Southern California wildfires. The Airport, Bridge and Line fires started near the beginning of September and have been burning for weeks.

    The Airport fire in Orange and Riverside counties has burned 23,526 acres and is 95% contained. Authorities have made daily progress, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The Bridge fire in L.A. and San Bernardino counties has burned 54,878 acres and is 97% contained.

    The most active fire remaining is the Line fire in San Bernardino County, which was 83% contained but had a significant flare-up on Sunday, as the Victorville Daily Press reported. The county Sheriff’s Department issued an evacuation order Sunday afternoon for the community of Seven Oaks.

    Cal Fire said the Line fire was still burning actively in Bear Creek on Sunday and producing a lot of smoky conditions because of dried-out fuels. Relative humidity in the fire area was expected to range as low as 12%, with winds gusting to about 15 mph. Cal Fire said it had strengthened the containment line on the ridge and had at least 10 helicopters working in the area.

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    Melissa Gomez

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  • Weather shift gives firefighters an edge in battling three large Southern California wildfires

    Weather shift gives firefighters an edge in battling three large Southern California wildfires

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    Falling temperatures and rising humidity will give firefighters a brief window to gain more ground against three major Southern California wildfires, officials said Sunday.

    “It’s helping out tremendously,” said Capt. Steve Concialdi, acting as public information officer on the Airport fire in Orange and Riverside counties, where overnight humidity levels topped 90% in some areas Saturday.

    “It is helping us increase our containment lines and firefighters are able to work longer in these cooler temperatures,” Concialdi said. “We’re not getting heat-related illnesses.”

    But there is a mixed blessing in the weather shift.

    “We are expecting some fairly strong winds through [Monday] night and also at higher elevations, which could present some issues,” said Bryan Lewis, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

    Even as a moist blanket of air in the marine layer thickens, rising to 4,500 feet by Sunday, conditions above that remain parched. Upper peaks could see wind gusts of up to 45 mph, Lewis said, spelling fresher air for valley residents but posing a challenge to fire crews. Lewis said the marine layer, with its cool, moist air, could deepen to 6,000 feet by Monday.

    In San Bernardino County, the Line fire moved at a crawl over the weekend, but the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said humidity and the chance of light rain late Sunday should give firefighters a chance to douse hot spots and solidify control lines that surround a third of the 36,000-acre fire. The fire was 36% contained as of Sunday afternoon.

    Paul Faulstick, 67, walks among the ruins of his friend, David Mix’s, property that was destroyed in the Bridge fire along Bear Canyon Road in Mount Baldy on Thursday. “It was Armageddon-like,” said David Mix, 50, about the fire. “This place is like a relative. I had to know if she was gone,” Mix concluded.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    The nearby Bridge fire sprawling nearly 55,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains of San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties continued to press north and west, but the agency said firefighters are holding lines to the south and east, though the Mount Baldy area remains under evacuation orders. The fire is only 9% contained.

    In the Santa Ana Mountains, the Airport fire made no new advances Saturday night, holding under 24,000 acres and giving ground crews a chance to reach hard-to-access areas around Trabuco Canyon and establish fire lines. To date, 115 residences and three businesses have been destroyed, with injuries reported to 12 firefighters and two civilians. The fire is 19% contained.

    Fire plans called for crews of hot shot firefighters to be flown in and dropped off in these remote areas, to establish camps from which they will work for several days dousing anything smoldering. “If the wind shifts or the Santa Ana [wind] kicks up, we want to make sure all of those hot spots are extinguished,” Concialdi said.

    With other ground gains, Riverside County on Saturday downgraded evacuation orders in some areas to warning status.

    Dry conditions still dominate at upper elevations. State officials said the Line fire near Big Bear Lake continued to be active on higher ground. In the Airport fire, Modjeska Peak remained dry, and state officials warned smoldering vegetation above 4,000 feet still had the potential to flare and roll downhill to ignite unburned vegetation.

    The high pressure system that locked Southern California in a heat dome last week has been displaced by the passage of a weak and dying cold front. Local weather forecasts called for temperatures slightly below normal, thick night fog and high humidity, and chances for light rain leading into Monday. Light rain returns to the forecast for Wednesday before National Weather Service forecasts call for temperatures to rise again to slightly above normal.

    Air quality advisories remained in effect for all four counties, with smoke choking the air with fine-particulate matter. The South Coast Air Quality Management District advised residents to limit outdoor activity.

    A firefighting helicopter battles the Airport fire, dropping water near Santiago Peak.

    A firefighting helicopter battles the Airport fire, dropping water near Santiago Peak on Tuesday. The Airport fire has charred more than 9,000 acres.

    (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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    Paige St. John

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  • Mother defends man accused of intentionally setting huge California wildfire

    Mother defends man accused of intentionally setting huge California wildfire

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    The 34-year-old Norco man arrested on suspicion of starting the Line fire, which has raged through San Bernardino County, tried multiple times to start a fire before succeeding, prosecutors allege.

    The San Bernardino County district attorney’s office filed criminal charges Thursday against Justin Wayne Halstenberg. He’s facing multiple counts of arson, including using incendiary devices to start fires and arson causing great bodily injury. Prosecutors said additional charges may be filed for any further structure damage or injuries as the fire continues.

    “The devastation that has unfolded due to the alleged actions of one man cannot be undone,” Dist. Atty. Jason Anderson said in a statement, adding that “37,000 acres of forest land and mountain communities might never be what they once were.”

    “My hope is that with the investigative efforts of our law enforcement partners and thorough prosecution of this case,” he said, “we can offer some measure of justice.”

    The man’s mother spoke out in her son’s defense, telling The Times on Thursday that he “did not light that fire.”

    A helicopter drops water across a smoky hillside

    A helicopter drops water on the Line fire Monday in Mentone, Calif.

    (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

    Connie Halstenberg made the comment in a text message response to The Times in which she said that she was not talking to the press.

    But, she said: “I do want to say this about my baby boy. He did not light that fire, I repeat he did not light that fire.”

    She said there are things that her son does that she does not approve of but that “he is not an arsonist.”

    In filing charges, prosecutors said Halstenberg attempted to start multiple fires within an hour in the city of Highland. His first alleged attempt occurred at Bacon and Lytle lanes. That fire was reported and extinguished by local firefighters.

    Portrait of Norco resident Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34

    Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, is being held without bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at Rancho Cucamonga Superior Courthouse.

    (San Bernardino County sheriff)

    Prosecutors said he tried a second time just east of Bacon Lane, near Base Line and Aplin streets. They said the fire was stomped out by a good Samaritan.

    “Undeterred, he ignited a third fire which is what we now know as the Line Fire,” prosecutors said in the statement.

    Three firefighters were injured in the first couple of days of the fire. At least one structure has been destroyed, and three others have been damaged, but none were homes, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus. He said the fire had affected an estimated 100,000 county residents.

    California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Battalion Chief Matt Kirkhart, who supervises the law enforcement investigation unit, said arson investigators responded to the fire that day to determine the origin and cause of the fire.

    An aerial view of orange smoke framed by tree canopies

    Flames from the Line fire reach tree tops Tuesday in Running Springs, Calif.

    (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

    He said investigators immediately began to comb through video taken from traffic cameras and license plate readers in an effort to develop a lead. They were joined by detectives with the Sheriff’s Department. Kirkhart said investigators at some point were able to identify a white truck, which led them to the suspect.

    Sheriff’s Det. Jake Hernandez said Halstenberg was taken into custody Tuesday at his home in the 1000 block of Detroit Street in Norco, where a search was conducted.

    Halstenberg, who remains in jail without bail, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at Rancho Cucamonga Superior Courthouse.

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    Ruben Vives

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  • Fast-moving Line fire forces evacuations in San Bernardino mountain towns

    Fast-moving Line fire forces evacuations in San Bernardino mountain towns

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    An uncontrolled wildfire in San Bernardino County forced mandatory evacuations Saturday in the mountain communities of Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake, along with other areas.

    Five hundred firefighters were using hand lines, hoses and fixed-wing aircraft to fight the Line fire, which started Thursday evening and exploded overnight as temperatures climbed to 110 degrees.

    The fire doubled in size early Saturday from 3,800 acres in the city of Highland to 7,122 acres by the evening as it spread northeast toward Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake, with 0% contained. Steep terrain and lack of access impacted the ability of crews to access some areas of the fires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.

    The National Weather Service Los Angeles said weather conditions were exacerbating the Line fire into a “dangerous situation.” Outflow winds from pyrocumulonimbus clouds — thunderstorms that form above sources of intense heat, such as wildfires — were pushing the flames around, the weather service said in a post on the social platform X.

    A cloud of smoke from the Line fire rises over mountains Saturday in Running Springs, Calif.

    (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

    “It’s burning out of control,” said David Cruz, spokesman for the San Bernardino National Forest.

    Running Springs, a community of about 4,600 residents, is a major gateway to the popular tourist destinations of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear. About 735 people live in Arrowbear Lake. On Saturday, residents jammed exit routes as they scrambled to comply with mandatory evacuation orders issued by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Images from a live video feed posted on social media showed a long line of cars slowing moving down a single mountain lane.

    “There’s a giant traffic jam,” Cruz said.

    A person walks in front of a truck and a house with a wildfire in the background.

    Fire crews monitor the Line fire Saturday in Highland, Calif.

    (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

    Other areas under evacuation orders, which are issued when conditions are immediately dangerous and life-threatening, include:

    • The area from Calle Del Rio to Highway 38, including Greenspot Road North
    • All underdeveloped land east of Highway 330 to Summertrail Place and north of Highland Avenue
    • The areas of Running Springs east of Highway 330 and south of Highway 18
    • The area east of Orchard Road to Cloverhill Drive from Highland Avenue north to the foothills

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    Teresa Watanabe

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