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A helicopter crew in the Line Fire zone. | Photo courtesy of the San Bernardino National Forest/X
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The 43,978-acre Line Fire, active in San Bernardino County for over a month, was 98% contained Wednesday, fire officials reported.
The wildfire has destroyed one structure, damaged four and caused injuries to six firefighters after erupting Sept. 5 near Baseline and Alpine streets in the mountains north of Highland, according to Cal Fire. The cause of the fire was arson.
“Heat is diminishing near the confluence of the Bear Creek and Siberia Creek thanks to the sucessful efforts of helitack crews in the steep, resistant terrain,” San Bernardino National Forest officials reported Monday. “Patrols near Mile Creek and Cold Creek are reporting minimal heat in the area, with little threat to control lines. Fuels are drier than normal for this time of year and receptive to ignition, so firefighters are staying engaged and are prepared for initial attack response if needed.”
Cool temperatures and increasing humidity were expected this week, but fire danger remains high, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
“Considerable progress has been made with suppression repair on the Line Fire,” officials said Monday in the last formal update on the blaze. “The goal of this plan is to repair the land, water, and property impacts created by incident suppression activities, returning the area to a more natural condition by rehabilitating impacted areas to the extent practical. The overall goal with suppression repair is to avoid concentration of water runoff onto the fire line and allow for proper drainage of water across slopes.”
So far more than 79 miles of dozer line have been repaired, and 35 miles are in various stages of assessment or repair, according to the Forest Service’s Monday update. Over 22 miles of handline have been repaired, and 6 miles are in progress.
No evacuation orders or warnings were in place for the Line Fire.
Highway 330 remains closed from Highland Avenue to Highway 18.
A total of 468 personnel were fighting the fire Wednesday, according to the San Bernardino National Forest.
Updated Oct. 16, 2024, 10:01 a.m.
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