Line Fire among three in Southern California that have scorched more than 100,000 acres
As one of three wildfires that have scorched more than 100,000 acres by Wednesday morning, the massive Line Fire has sent people fleeing from their homes in San Bernardino County with over 65,000 buildings threatened as the blaze burned 34,600 acres — or about 54 square miles — over the span of less than a week.
That's the current situation as of Wednesday morning as several communities remained under mandatory evacuations while firefighters worked through challenges from the terrain and weather conditions such as strong winds, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
It's currently the fifth largest wildfire in California so far this year, just behind the Bridge Fire which is now the third-largest in 2024 and also broke out in just the past few days.
Last week, the Line Fire first sparked along Base Line and Aplin streets in the city of Highland around 6 p.m. on Thursday and tore through several hundred acres before quickly growing over Friday night to surpass 3,000 acres. It torched tens of thousands of acres of brush over the weekend, forcing thousands to be placed under evacuation orders.
Click here to jump to the evacuation orders.
By Saturday, the fire had scorched more than 7,000 acres and San Bernardino County officials issued a proclamation of emergency. Compounding a difficult situation as thousands of people were ordered to evacuate, a small earthquake rattled the area, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Paired with the sweltering heat, weather officials said smoke from the fire created clouds similar to those that come with thunderstorms, prompting reports of over 1,100 lightning strikes in the area. The small, fire-created storm system increased winds in the immediate area, fanning the flames as they continued to spread.
"These thunderstorms have been moving this fire around," San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey said earlier this week. "The fire is moving northeast and we're concerned for the citizens of Big Bear."
As of Wednesday morning, the blaze had consumed 34,659 acres and was 14% contained, with 65,500 structures were threatened, including 9,200 under mandatory evacuation orders, according to Cal Fire.
Late Tuesday, officials announced that they had made an arrest in connection with the fire's ignition, taking a 34-year-old Norco man into custody for alleged arson.
More than 100,000 acres burned by three wildfires
The Line Fire is one of three major wildfires that have altogether burned through more than 104,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire.
By that time, the Bridge Fire torched about 47,900 acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, or roughly 74 square miles, after exploding in size between Tuesday and Wednesday as mandatory evacuations remained in place. Meanwhile, the Airport Fire destroyed several homes as it tore through more than 22,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.
In the Line Fire, residents were reassured that their homes would be protected from things other than the fire if they did have to leave.
"If anybody comes out to loot in this county they will be arrested and they will be prosecuted," San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. "We're going to be out there in force making sure that happens, including undercover units."
With the fire again growing on Tuesday, firefighters said that "public safety power shutoffs are anticipated for parts of the Big Bear and Bear Valley areas" in order to "construct control lines and protect structures and communities," Cal Fire crews said late Tuesday on X.
Government assistance activated
Since the Line Fire more than tripled in size over the weekend, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday night that allowed for additional resources and funding to assist with the firefight. By Wednesday morning, he secured FEMA funding for all three major wildfires in Southern California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the California National Guard on Monday to join nearly 2,000 firefighters battling the Line Fire.
The order authorized the guard to deploy 80 soldiers as hand crews, four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, and two C-130 cargo planes to drop water and fire retardants. Cal Guard will also send a military police company to help local law enforcement in evacuated areas.
"As the Line Fire continues to pose a threat to San Bernardino communities, we're pouring resources into this incident aggressively by deploying more air and ground support through the California National Guard," Newsom wrote.
Mandatory evacuations send residents fleeing
By early Monday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department had issued evacuation orders for the entire communities of Running Springs, Arrowbear Lake, Forest Falls and Mountain Home Village, areas with a total population of more than 6,000 people. Later in the week, evacuations were expanded and included areas of Big Bear.
Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters continued to grapple with weather conditions but managed to get containment up to 14% by Wednesday morning. Still, stifling heat and dry conditions remain a complicating factor as work is done around the clock.
"We know that triple-digit temperatures are coming again today, so that's why it's so important to get that work done at night when it is cooler," Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua said earlier this week. "We had the water-dropping helicopters back last night, so hopefully we'll see that containment come up."
"The heat affects them tremendously. You know, the work-rest cycles? They can work for a little bit but the body just needs to take a break after awhile," Pascua said over the weekend of the firefighters working in extreme heat.
"We're just kind of on the edge, just waiting"
On Friday, the skies above San Bernardino County lit up in a glowing orange hue as bright red flames could be seen tearing through shrubbery. Some in Highland said they could see the rapidly growing fire from their homes.
"The flames were right up on us because the wind shifted," said Brian Gano, who was trying to hose down the flames alongside his wife and son. "I got a high-pressure line in my backyard."
People living in the area waited to hear whether they would have to evacuate. Resident Diya Hirpara was buying groceries as she tried to prepare.
"It was pretty scary," Hirpara said. "We're just kind of on the edge, just waiting."
Firefighters flew through thick, billowing plumes of smoke to make fire retardant drops, working against the blaze from the air and ground.
They managed to contain the flames within the San Bernardino National Forest, but winds started to sweep the fire toward homes.
"We had an aggressive firefight on our hands to protect those homes," Pascua said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched a team of more than 20 firefighters and three engines to assist the crews battling the blaze.
Evacuation orders and warnings
As of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire said there are currently 65,600 structures threatened, including single and multi-family homes, commercial buildings and other minor structures. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department evacuated many communities including Arrowbear Lake, Running Springs, Forrest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Seven Oaks, Green Valley Lake, Angelus Oaks as well as parts of Big Bear Lake and Highland.
Here are the current areas under evacuation orders:
- The area east of Orchard Road to Cloverhill Drive from Highland Ave north to the foothills
- All undeveloped land east of Hwy 330 to Summertrail Place and north of Highland Avenue
- Communities of Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake
- The community of Forrest Falls
- The community of Mountain Home Village
- The communities of Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks and all campgrounds and cabins in the area
- The areas north and east of Highland Avenue and Palm Avenue
- Green Valley Lake north from Highway 18 along Green Valley Lake Road
- Big Bear from the dam east to Wildrose Lane and the south shoreline south to Bluff Lake Basin
Here are the current areas under evacuation warnings:
- From Calle Del Rio east to Highway 38 and from Greenspot Road north to the foothills
- From 210 freeway east to the foothills and from Greenspot road north to the foothills
- The community of Green Valley Lake north from Highway 18 along Green Valley Lake Road
- The communities of Cedar Glen, Lake Arrowhead, Twin Peaks, Crestline, and Valley of Enchantment
- The area from Garnet Street east to Bryant Street and Carter Street north to Mill Creek
- The area of Big Bear Valley from the dam to Cactus Road
- Garnett Street east to Highway 38 and Mill Creek north to the foothills
Information on all orders and warnings is available on Cal Fire's website. To stay updated on evacuation orders, visit the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's interactive map here.
Evacuation shelters have been established in Victorville at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, Building 6, 14800 7th Street; and in Highland at Immanuel Baptist Church, 28355 Base Line Street. However, those sheltering in place at Immanuel Baptist Church were expected to be moved to the Jesse Turner Community Center, a newly established evacuation center.
An animal evacuation shelter has been established in San Bernardino at Devore Animal Shelter, 19777 Shelter Way. For questions, residents may call (909) 386-9820 or (800) 472-5609.
The American Red Cross is also assisting those who have been displaced, offering shelter, water and other resources.
Air quality concerns
On Friday, air quality regulators issued a smoke advisory to warn people about harmful conditions as smoke from the Line Fire was carried by winds into surrounding areas. The air quality is considered "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to "very unhealthy," a category that indicates everyone — including people without any health conditions — may experience harmful side effects.
According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, winds were blowing smoke from the wildfire west toward the cities of Highland and San Bernardino, with people in those areas expected to feel the impacts on Friday and Saturday.
A map showing the latest smoke and air quality conditions can be found here.
Road closures
- Highway 38 is shut down between Bryant Street and Lake Williams.
- Highway 18 is currently closed from Kuffel Canyon to the Big Bear Dam.
- Highway 330 remains closed northbound from Highland Avenue to Highway 18.
