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Tag: mountain community

  • Bridge fire swept through Mountain High, but famed ski resort largely survived

    Bridge fire swept through Mountain High, but famed ski resort largely survived

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    As the Bridge fire swept through mountain communities Tuesday night, Mountain High’s webcam showed a dramatic scene: Flames cutting through ski lifts at the well-known ski resort.

    The images boded ill for Mountain High, but as the night wore on, the resort’s fate remained a mystery.

    With sunrise, it became clear that the resort largely survived the blaze.

    “Fire raced through the area yesterday, but all the main lifts and buildings survived with little to no damage,” according to a post from Mountain High. “Thank you to all the employees and fire fighters for their hard work. Our hearts go out to the Wrightwood families that may be suffering. We are with you!”

    Some homes were burned in nearby Wrightwood, but exact numbers were unavailable Wednesday morning.

    Located about 75 miles northeast of L.A., Mountain High has three mountains for skiers and boarders, an ice rink for skaters and Yeti’s Snowplay, which includes tubing and sledding for young ones.

    The Bridge fire broke out Sunday in Angeles National Forest, with the flames spreading rapidly Tuesday in the northeast area, forest officials reported.

    Between Tuesday and early Wednesday, the blaze exploded from 4,000 acres to 47,904 acres, growing more than 10 times in size.

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    Summer Lin

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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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  • ‘Catastrophic, life-threatening’ flooding expected in Orange County, Inland Empire

    ‘Catastrophic, life-threatening’ flooding expected in Orange County, Inland Empire

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    The forecast for California’s monster storm just got worse for Orange County, the Inland Empire and mountain communities.

    The biggest concern is Monday, when the storm is expected to have its strongest impact.

    Orange County, Inland Empire

    The National Weather Service now warns of “locally catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” for those areas, stating that “the system will stall, bringing heavy rain through Monday afternoon.”

    Officials warned that the rainfall in Orange County and western Inland Empire areas could be “torrential.”

    Anaheim, Irvine and Ontario could get 5 to 7 inches; San Clemente and San Bernardino could get 4 to 5; and Riverside and Lake Elsinore, 3 to 4.

    Orange County issued an evacuation warning Sunday night for areas in the Santa Ana Mountains, including along sections of the Santiago, Silverado, Williams, Modjeska, Trabuco, Live Oak, Rose, Holy Jim and Black Star canyons, as well as around Irvine Lake.

    San Bernardino Mountains

    Heavy snow could cause power outages and ramp up traffic danger in the mountains. “Heavy wet snow” is expected Monday evening into Tuesday, forecasters said.

    Strong winds could be powerful enough to topple tree limbs and make driving difficult for high-profile vehicles. There could be gusts of up to 55 mph in the high desert and up to 75 mph in the San Bernardino Mountains.

    The bigger picture

    The changing forecast came as the storm moved south, walloping Los Angeles County and the heart of Southern California.

    The forecast for Los Angeles County became more severe Sunday, with rainfall totals generally rising by about 2 inches. It’s now possible that Pasadena could see up to 10 inches of rain; Northridge, Pomona and Santa Clarita could get 7; downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and Westlake Village, 6; and Redondo Beach, 5.

    Peak wind gusts could be between 30 and 40 mph in downtown L.A., Long Beach, Pasadena and Pomona; 40 to 50 mph in Northridge and Redondo Beach; and nearly 60 mph in Santa Clarita and Westlake Village.

    Officials have urged people to stay off roads if possible Monday.



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    Rong-Gong Lin II, Hayley Smith

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