Bridge and Airport fires near full containment; Line Fire at 80%

Two of the three destructive fires in Southern California that combined have burned more than 121,000 acres over the last three weeks were nearly under firefighters’ control on Monday, but dry weather was preventing full containment, according to state fire officials.

The 54,878-acre Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties is the state’s largest active blaze and was 98% contained, while firefighters achieved 95% containment of the 23,526-acre Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties, Cal Fire reported.

The Line Fire in San Bernardino County was 80% contained and has burned 43,251 acres.

Bridge Fire

The Bridge Fire has destroyed 81 structures, damaged 17 and caused eight injuries.

Personnel battling the blaze totaled 224 on Sunday, and “numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow,” according to a Cal Fire statement.

These roads were closed as of Sunday:

• Eastbound Big Pines Highway at Largo Vista Road open to residents only;
• State Route 2 at Flume Canyon Road westbound;
• Mescal Creek Road at Mescal Canyon Road;
• Glendora Mountain Road north of Big Dalton Canyon Road; and
• Glendora Ridge Road from Mount Baldy to Glendora Mountain Road.

There were no remaining evacuation orders or warnings.

The Bridge Fire began Sept. 8 in the San Gabriel Canyon above Glendora and swiftly moved eastward into San Bernardino County.

Airport Fire

Injuries totaled 15 people, including 13 firefighters who suffered minor injuries.

The Airport Fire has destroyed 160 structures, damaged 34 and caused 22 injuries.

All evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted.

Highway 74 has been reopened, but hard closures were still in effect at Trabuco Creek Road, Maple Springs Road, North Main Divide Road at Ortega Highway and Long Canyon Road at Ortega Highway.

A closure order is in effect for the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest.

This week forecasters expected warm weather with low humidity, prompting the Burned Area Emergency Response team to assess the potential for floods or mudslides that could result from any change in weather conditions.

Over the next several days, crews in Trabuco Canyon will remove hazardous trees identified by tree experts that were too heavily damaged from the fire and pose a threat if they remain.

Southern California Edison continues to replace damaged utility poles and power lines in the Lake Elsinore area, and will be using helicopters to transport and place the poles. Authorities advised motorists that traffic delays could happen occasionally for extended times.

Officials said an Orange County Public Works crew using heavy equipment inadvertently started the fire Sept. 9.

On Sept. 19, eight firefighters were injured when a transport truck swerved and rolled over on the Foothill (241) Toll Road in Irvine. The Orange County Fire Authority hand crew was driving back to the Airport Fire command post after finishing a 12-hour shift on the fire line.

Four of the firefighters remain hospitalized in stable to critical condition, and four other crew members were treated and released, officials said.

As of Sunday, 268 personnel were fighting the Airport Fire — five crews, six engines, 11 dozers, 10 water tenders and three helicopters.

Line Fire

The Line Fire has destroyed four structures, damaged one and caused injuries to four people. An evacuation order was in effect for Seven Oaks, and evacuation warnings were in place for Angelus Oaks and the Boulder Bay area of Big Bear, according to Cal Fire on Sunday.

A shelter for evacuees is at Redlands East Valley High School, 31000 E. Colton Ave.

These roads were closed:

• State Route 330, both directions from Highland Ave to Live Oak — fire crews were still active in the area, and Caltrans crews have started damage assessment. “There is no ETA for reopening State Route 330 at this time,” officials said.
• Highway 18 was open for evacuees from Big Bear on both sides, Running Springs and Lucerne.

A forest closure area was in effect, all National Forest lands, trails and roads within the fire zone are closed to the public. 

“The Line Fire made a run up the Santa Ana River drainage today,” Cal Fire reported Monday morning. “The last few days of above normal temperatures have dried out both the vegetation and moisture from the air. Firefighters had expected some movement along the open line in this area however, fire behavior exceeded expectations. The dry vegetation, steep slopes and wind aligned yesterday to create conditions for the rapid fire spread yesterday. 

“Although work continues throughout the fire, the Santa Ana River drainage is the priority for today,” the Cal Fire statement continued. “Additional crews and equipment are focused in this area. Four night-flying helicopters are assigned to the incident and were actively dropping water in the drainage (Saturday) night. 

A unified command is managing firefighting efforts that includes the San Bernardino National Forest, San Bernardino County Fire, Cal Fire San Bernardino and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Additional firefighting crews, equipment and air resources have arrived and more were expected. 

Personnel battling the blaze, which started Sept. 5, totaled 1,176 on Monday.

More information on the fires is available at fire.ca.gov/incidents.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help counties pay for battling the fires and recovery efforts.

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