Lake Fire Burns More Than 17,400 Acres by Tuesday Morning

As temperatures in the Southland rose and stayed into the triple digits, San Bernardino County firefighters continued battling the Lake Fire along the northern boundary of the San Gorgonio Wilderness in steep, rocky terrain. At time of press Tuesday morning, June 23, the fire, which officials said was reported just before 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, had burned up to 17,405 acres of timber east of Camp de Benneville Pines, south of Jenks Lake Road, and was 30 percent contained. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, according to officials. Officials said about 500 structures were threatened, but none damaged or destroyed at time of press. Highway 38 remains closed from Angelus Oaks to Lake Williams. Jenks Lake Road is closed. In Big Bear, Maple Lane is closed for fire equipment. Evacuations include areas east of Angelus Oaks, including Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Rainbow Lane, Heart Bar and all cabins and campgrounds in the South Fork area. The American Red Cross has a standby location to address any future sheltering or evacuation center needs. The San Bernardino County fire and sheriff's departments are commanding fire management with an incident command post located at Big Bear High School. Resources on scene included 128 engines, 18 helicopters (including night-flying), 54 crews, 18 water tenders and 11 dozers for a total of 1,979 personnel working to combat the flames. No injuries have been reported as a result of the fire, with damage at an estimated $7 million. All hiking trails into the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area have been closed due to close proximity to the fire, according to officials, with the Pacific Crest Trail closed from Whitewater Preserve to Onyx Summit. The fire pushed further east over last Thursday into the Heart Bar and Coon Creek areas and moved farther south into the San Gorgonio Wilderness area in the Ten Thousand Food Ridge area. Because of turbulent winds above and near ridge lines, helicopters have been more effective than air tankers in slowing the fire, said officials. A contingency division has been established for the Morongo and Pioneertown areas, but there were no evacuation orders for these areas at time of press. With heavy smoke reaching the Morongo and Coachella valleys, the Southern California Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory. Officials said a high-pressure weather system is in place with above normal temperatures over the next several days and very low daytime humidity (5 to 10 percent) and poor overnight humidity recovery.