Promising Progress

     ​          

  Tuesday’s Totals of LAKE Fire 

Big Bear Valley, California, Tuesday June 23, 2015  ____ Fire Fighters continue to work on the 17,525 acre LAKE FIRE in the San Bernardino Mountains with containment increasing to 33 percent. 

Good progress was made within the northeastern portion of fire today, although the fire remained active and continued spotting to the east.  With the steep ridgelines in the area, burning material rolled down into the headwaters of Little Morongo Creek.  This was the eastern most point of spread, as of the end of day shift Tuesday.  Helicopters dropped retardant in this area to halt the progress as the terrain is inaccessible to ground crews.

Pockets of dense vegetation burned inside the fire perimeter and were visible from the southern side. The fire did spread into the headwaters of the North Fork of Whitewater and may burn northwest from there.  If the fire continues to burn in this direction, it will be visible to residents of Forest Falls.  After dark, Fire Fighters worked in the area constructing fire-line.

State Route 38 remains closed. Forest and Fire Team leadership re-evaluate each evening; the decision to open the road is dependent on how much firefighting equipment – including helicopters with buckets full of water – need to work in the area.  We ask that everyone is patient and help keep our Fire Fighters safe by respecting the SR- 38 closure.

The Barton Flats area remains closed.  This means that all organizational camps in the area remain closed until further notice.  Camp Managers need to contact Heather Mobley at the Mountaintop Ranger District office for status updates.

The night weather will continue to be warm and dry.  Clear skies are expected with lows in the mid 40s.  Relative humidity will increase to a maximum of 30 percent.  Winds continue to come out of the west with 5-7mph on slopes and 10-12 mph on the ridge tops.

Closures:

-        State Route 38 from Angelus Oaks to Lake Williams

-        Jenks Lake Road

-        Maple Lane in Big Bear Lake (for fire equipment movement)

-        All hiking trails into the San Gorgonio Wilderness including the Pacific Crest Trail from Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit 

Evacuations remain in effect:

-        All areas east of Angelus Oaks including: Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Rainbow Lane, Heart Bar, and all cabins and campgrounds in the South Fork area.

Fire Information (909) 383-5688 and inciweb.nwcg.gov          (Lake Fire)

Southern California interagency

Incident Management Team 1

Lake Fire Update  June 23, 2015

8:00 PM