Lake Fire Reaches 13,000 Acres, Only 10% Contained
The Lake Fire, located in the San Bernardino National Forest, was reported just before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17. The fire now burns in the Barton Flats area and in the northeastern portion of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area, north of Banning, Cabazon, and the Morongo Reservation, northwest of Morongo Valley, and west of the Pioneertown area. The fire is now estimated to be approximately 13,000 acres in size and only 10 percent contained. It is burning in timber with approximately 500 structures threatened, though no structures are believed to have been damaged or destroyed by the fire at this time.
Highway 38 is closed between Angelus Oaks to Lake Williams. Evacuations include: Areas east of Angelus Oaks, Onyx Summit, Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Heart Bar, and homes off of Rainbow Lane. All hiking trails into the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area have been closed and the Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit.
Yesterday and overnight, the fire pushed further east into the Heart Bar and Coon Creek areas, and also moved farther south into the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area in the Ten Thousand Foot Ridge area. Due to turbulent winds above and near the ridgelines, helicopters have proved more effective than air tankers in slowing the spread of the fire.
Photo courtesy of Inciweb.
The Sun Runner has received inquiries from concerned residents near Pioneertown, including veterans of the 2006 Sawtooth Complex Fire that destroyed parts of the Pioneertown area. A Contingency Division has been established for the Morongo Valley and Pioneertown areas, however no evacuation orderes exist at this time for these areas.
Heavy smoke is blanketing parts of the hi-desert and Coachella Valley and the Southern California Air Quality Management District has issued a Smoke Advisory for these areas.
Fire management for the Lake Fire is under unified command with, Cal Fire, San Bernardino County Fire and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The Incident Command Post has been moved to the Big Bear High School.
Today, another fire broke out at the Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National Park around 12:15 p.m. Fire crews from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Twentynine Palms Fire Department responded to the quarter-acre fire that burned vegetation and damaged two road signs. The fire has been fully contained and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The national park remains open in spite of falling ash and poor air quality caused by the Lake Fire, though hiking, rock climbing, cycling, and other strenuous activities are discouraged. Events in the Town of Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree were canceled due to the heavy blanket of smoke and ash that lay over the hi-desert for much of the day. Some businesses in Yucca Valley closed due to the heavy volume of smoke.
With the weather outlook for the coming weekend being hot with wind, the fire remains challenging for firefighters. The Sun Runner would like to encourage desert residents and visitors to be extremely cautious with all possible sources of flame. We'd also like to stress caution with the high heat the desert is experiencing and note that it can be deadly. Grand Canyon National Park reported one hiker death today from heat.
