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As Lake Fire Nears Complete Containment, Personnel Is Further Reduced And Local Command Is Resumed

inciweb.nwcg.gov

Lake Fire - Fire Progression Map Posted on: 07/05/15
Credit inciweb.nwcg.gov

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[THIS STORY WAS UPDATED BY KVCR AT 11:00AM SUNDAY 7/5]    At a cost of nearly $40 million so far, the Lake Fire burning in the San Bernardino Mountains for the past two-and-a-half weeks  is now 90 percent contained at 31,359 acres.  Personnel deployed to the fire is now a fraction of what was needed a week ago: 616 personnel remain of the nearly 2,300 deployed at the fire's peak growth a week after it began June 17.  This morning, the Forest Service announced command of the fire effort has been restored to local authorities.

Fire behavior was minimal overnight with some smoldering within the perimeter. There was no perimeter growth.  Perimeter containment lines have been completed on the incident in locations accessible by ground based firefighters. Individual hot spot locations have been identified where monitoring will be a continued need due to inaccessibility.

Fire crews and helicopters will continue to be visible to the public throughout the holiday weekend. Motorists may observe movement of firefighting vehicles along State Route 38. Please be alert while traveling on the highway and yield the right-of-way to emergency personnel and vehicles.

Scattered clouds are expected with a slight chance of afternoon showers and possibly thunderstorms. Breezy south to southwest winds will develop.

At it's 8:00am news update Sunday morning, 7/5, the Forest Service also provided these details:

Current Fire Situation
As of 6:00 am this morning, the California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 transferred management of the Lake Fire, which is 90 percent contained, back to the local unit on the San Bernardino National Forest. The forest Type 3 organization will include a core group of firefighters and support personnel who will remain to mop up, patrol and complete fire-suppression repair. Unstaffed areas of the fire will continue to be monitored by air.

The incident command post (ICP) at Big Bear High School will be dismantled today. A much smaller ICP will be established for the local team at the Mill Creek Ranger Station in Mentone.

Crews continue to work on fire-suppression repair around the fire. Along State Route (SR) 38 you may see crews stacking vegetation on the edge of the road in preparation for chipping the material. There could be some one-lane traffic along SR 38 when crews start chipping that vegetation in the next few days. Please drive carefully through that area to help protect those crews.

Weather & Fire Behavior
Some lingering monsoon moisture will provide a slight chance of showers and possibly thunderstorms. Adequate resources are available through the holiday weekend to handle any initial attack of a new fire start.

?Traffic Safety
Fire crews and helicopters will continue to be visible to the public throughout the holiday weekend. Motorists may observe movement of firefighting vehicles along SR 38. Please be alert while traveling on the highway and yield the right-of-way to emergency personnel and vehicles.

Closures
The public should call California Land Management’s Serrano campground office (909-866-8550) with questions regarding campground closures.
 
The Lake Fire was reported just before 4:00 pm on June 17, 2015. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It is approximately 31,359 acres in size and is now 90% contained. The fire behavior overnight was minimal with creeping and smoldering. No perimeter growth was reported on the fire. ??Fire crews and helicopters will continue to be visible to the public throughout the holiday weekend. Motorists may observe movement of firefighting vehicles along State Route 38. Please be alert while traveling on the highway and yield the right-of-way to emergency personnel and vehicles.??All evacuations have been lifted and Highway 38 has been re-opened, however all Forest Service lands in the area of the fire remain closed to recreation purposes. Please view the Fire Closure Order and Map of Fire Closure.??The following is a list of closed sites:
Day-Use Areas: Barton Flats Visitor Center, Greyback Amphitheatre, and Jenks Lake Day Use Site are closed.??Cabins: Owners of cabins administered by the Forest Service are allowed to access their structures during the daytime, but overnight stays are not authorized at this time. This includes cabins in the Barton Flats, Stetson Creek, Round Cienega, Seven Oaks, Lost Creek, South Fork, and Fish Creek Tracts
Campgrounds: Campgrounds along Hwy 38 will remain closed through the 9th of July including: Barton Flats, San Gorgonio, South Fork, Skyline, Council, Heart Bar, Oso, Lobo, Heart Bar Equestrian, Wildhorse Equestrian, Coon Creek Cabin, Coon Creek Yellow-post Sites, Mission Springs, Green Spot, and Juniper Springs. For campground reservation cancellations and refunds, please call the NRRS reservation service at 877-444-6777. For additional information about campground closures, please contact California Land Management at 909-866-8550??Organizational Camps: Special Use Camps remain closed to campers. Camps are accessible for staff only to conduct maintenance.??Roads: ?The following roads are closed due to direct impacts by the fire and fire suppression: Jenks Lake Road, 1N01, 2N01, 2N02, 2N05, 2N61Y, 2N64Y, 2N68Y, 2N69Y, 2N71Y, 2N73Y, 2N74Y, 2N75Y 2N76Y, 2N83Y, 3N03
The following roads in the lower Santa Ana River Area are closed due to flood risk below the burned area: 2N93, 2N06, 1N54, 1N94, 1N09, 1N07, 1N72, 1N45, 1N03??Trails: All hiking trails into the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area remain closed, as well as the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) between Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit.
Resources include:
15 engines
9 helicopters
15 crews
5 water tenders
1 dozer
616 personnel assigned to the fire

There have been five minor firefighter injuries. One structure and three outbuildings have been destroyed.

Ben's Weather Webcam has updated images of the fire area every 30 seconds.

[THIS STORY WAS UPDATED BY KVCR AT 11:00AM SUNDAY 7/5]
 

Ken Vincent has retired. We appreciate the way he shared his expertise with many of our young interns and reporters over the nearly eight years he spent as KVCR's lead journalist and Morning Edition host. We wish him a happy and relaxing retirement as he spends more time in his garden and, as he mentioned, more time on the golf course. Thanks Ken!
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