Mandatory evacuations were ordered Thursday morning for a portion of north San Bernardino after a wind-driven brush fire was reported. The fire, dubbed the Old Water Fire, began just after 2 a.m. near Old Waterman Canyon Road and Highway 18.
The blaze quickly burned about 75 acres and a flare-up this afternoon was sending smoke down the mountain and into the city.
The Forest Service is working with the San Bernardino County Fire Department, Cal Fire and local agencies in battling the Old Water Fire. 400 personnel, air tankers and helicopters have kept the blaze at bay.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the following areas:
Mariposa Drive and David Way near 40th Street.
Arrowhead Road off of Waterman Canyon.
Residents north of Foothill Dr. between Del Rosa and Manzanita.
San Gorgonio High School (at Pacific and Arden) in San Bernardino was being used as an evacuation site.
Highway 18 and 40th Street were opened to traffic in both directions after being closed all day to allow firefighting personnel full access to both roadways.
Evacuated areas noted above were set to open for residents only at 8:00PM Thursday according to SB County Fire’s Twitter account. https://twitter.com/SBCOUNTYFIRE
Rick Dulock is originally from Gainesville, Florida. He fell in love with NPR as a student board operator for 91.9 KVCR in 1996 and since then has worn many hats including Development Director and Pledge Producer. Rick has served as Program Manager since 2011 and is currently working on bolstering KVCR's Weekend Showcase with limited series and unique public radio offerings.