An out-of-control 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 handlines, hoses and fixed-wing aircraft to battle the Line Fire, which started Thursday night and exploded overnight as temperatures soared to 110 degrees.
The fire doubled in size early Saturday, from 3,800 acres in the town of Highland to 7,122 acres by afternoon, as it spread northeast toward Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake, and the fire was 0% contained. Steep terrain and lack of access impacted crews’ ability to access some areas of the fires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said weather conditions were worsening the Line Fire to a “dangerous situation.” Outbound winds from pyrocumulonimbus clouds — thunderstorms that form over sources of intense heat, such as wildfires — were pushing the flames, the weather service said in a post on social media platform X.
A cloud of smoke from the Line Fire rises over the mountains on Saturday in Running Springs, California.
(Eric Thayer/Associated Press)
“It’s burning out of control,” said David Cruz, a spokesman for the San Bernardino National Forest.
Running Springs, a community of about 4,600 people, 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 blocked off exit routes as they rushed to comply with mandatory evacuation orders issued by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Footage from a live video stream posted on social media showed a long line of cars moving slowly down a single mountain lane.
“There is a huge traffic jam,” Cruz said.
Fire crews monitor the Line Fire on Saturday in Highland, California.
(Eric Thayer/Associated Press)
Other areas under evacuation orders, which are issued when conditions are immediately dangerous and life-threatening, include:
- The area from Del Rio Street to Highway 38, including Greenspot Road North
- All undeveloped land east of Highway 330 to Summertrail Place and north of Highland Avenue
- The Running Springs areas east of Highway 330 and south of Highway 18
- The area east of Orchard Road to Cloverhill Drive from Highland Avenue north to the hills.
