BARTON FLATS: Lake Fire grows to 10,000 acres; 400 evacuated (UPDATE 5)
BY MARK MUCKENFUSS AND ALI TADAYON / STAFF WRITERSAbout 400 mountain residents, campers and other visitors have been evacuated as the 10,000-acre Lake Fire cotinues burning through miles of brush and trees in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Ninety percent of the fire is burning through wilderness, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Brian Grant said. But it has been threatening structures in the lightly populated areas along Highway 38 about five miles directly south of Big Bear Lake.
As the wind blew the fire to the east, the area most at risk Thursday afternoon was off Rainbow Lane, a private road south of Onyx Summit, Forest Service officials said. About 20-25 homes were evacuated there. No buildings have been damaged.
The rest of the evacuations were from a dozen of the recreational camps in the region. Children – many from other states – were taken to Citrus Valley High School in Redlands, where their parents could pick them up.
The Lake Fire started about 4 p.m. Wednesday south of Jenks Lake West in the Barton Flats area. It reached its worst point about 3 a.m. Thursday, but a special task force that sprayed a fire-protection gel on houses along Jenks Road managed to prevent them from burning, officials said.
By Thursday afternoon, a rough map of the fire's estimated perimeter showed it encompassed a football-shaped swath about 8 miles wide and 2 ½ miles tall.
The fire was 5 percent contained.
"There hasn't been a fire in the wilderness in a really long time," Grant said. "That means there's lots of fuel."
Most of what's burning is brush, but wind gusts of up to 40 mph were blowing embers that could turn trees into torches.
Grant said fire officials expect things to calm down as night approaches, but dangerous conditions could pick up again around 3 a.m. Friday.
Among the aircraft available was a night-flying helicopter.
The fire has closed Highway 38 between Angelus Oaks and Lake Williams. But Highway 18 to Big Bear Lake remains open.
The San Gorgonio Wilderness is closed, as are hiking trails leading into it. The Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit as well.
A 74-year-old backpacker from Dana Point used an emergency radio beacon to summon rescuers Thursday as the flames and smoke headed his way, interrupting what was planned as a three-day wilderness trek.
A sheriff's helicopter crew picked up Stanley Reese in Dry Lake. He was uninjured.A smoke advisory has been issued for the eastern San Bernardino Mountains because of the unhealthy air created by the fire.
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