On Saturday, firefighters continued to battle the Bridge Fire, which spread from San Gabriel Canyon above Glendora into San Bernardino County and burned 52,960 acres. It became the largest active fire in Southern California.
As of Saturday morning, the fire was only 3 percent contained, mostly on the southwest side, according to Cal Fire.
“Today, the Bridge Fire saw minimal movement,” Cal Fire said in its latest update Saturday. “Firefighters continued to mop up hot spots, establishing or reinforcing containment lines along the entire perimeter of the fire where it was possible to do so. Resources were focused on the northern area of the fire, where air operations dropped water as needed along the fire line near the communities of Big Pines and Wrightwood.
“Although the fire is slowly retreating toward the east side, firefighters are not letting their guard down in Icehouse Canyon, where the rugged terrain still presents some challenges. Heat and active flames are also still present in the Mt. Baldy Village area, and crews continue to prioritize protecting structures.
“A marine weather inversion helped crews along the southern boundary establish a direct line, extending from the southwest to the east with mopping. Favorable winds also kept the west side of the fire within its current footprint, where the steepest and most rugged terrain within the desert is located.”
Fire crews are working to establish containment lines as the Bridge Fire grows to more than 50,000 acres, destroying multiple single-family homes along the way.
Firefighters said humidity remains low at higher elevations, but at even lower elevations, the marine layer and increased humidity were helping crews make “great progress in strengthening primary and secondary containment lines on the southeast, south and southwest flanks of the fire, while also gaining depth in their mop-up operations.”
The Incident Management Team has scheduled a public meeting for 6 p.m. Saturday at the Serrano High School Performing Arts Center, 9292 Sheep Creek Road in Phelan, which will be streamed live on the Angeles National Forest Facebook page.
The fire started at 3 p.m. Sunday near East Fork and Glendora Mountain roads, according to forestry officials. The blaze initially remained relatively small, but exploded in size at the end of a prolonged heat wave Tuesday, destroying dozens of structures as it moved toward San Bernardino County.
It is the largest active fire in the state.
evacuation orders
- the entire Wrightwood community
- Highway 138 south to Lone Pine Canyon and Highway 2 east to Lone Pine Canyon Road;
- Lone Pine Canyon from the community of Wrightwood to Highway 138/Lone Pine Canyon Road south to the forest;
- the East Fork communities of Camp Williams Resort (coffee shop, mobile home park, campground) and River Community (near the resort); and
- Mt. Baldy Road, North Mountain Avenue y Shinn Roads desde San Antonio Heights hasta Wrightwood y al este hasta Cucamonga Peak.
- A mandatory evacuation order that had been in effect for the area from Highway 18 south to Highway 138 and Beekley Road west to the Los Angeles County line was downgraded to a warning.
Evacuation warnings
- Phelan from Highway 138 east to Baldy Mesa Road and Phelan Road south to Sayle Road;
- San Antonio Heights and Upland from the hills south to 23rd Street;
- Pinon Hills from Wrightwood north to Highway 138 and Lebec Road west to Los Angeles County.
Evacuation warnings were lifted Friday in the communities of Baldwin Lake and Lake Williams from Highway 38 north to Highway 18 and Baldwin Lake East, and in the area of Phelan Road south to Forest Route 3N24 and Baldy Mesa Road west to Tumbleweed Road.
Evacuation centers
- Pomona Fairplex: 601 W McKinley Ave., Pomona (enter through Door 3, corner of McKinley and White);
- Hacienda Heights Community Center, 1234 Valencia Ave.;
- Jessie Turner Center, 15556 Summit Ave., en Fontana.
Animal evacuation centers
- Palmdale Animal Care Center (small animals): 38550 Sierra Highway, Palmdale;
- Lancaster Animal Care Center (small animals): 5210 W. Ave. I, Lancaster;
- Antelope Valley Fairgrounds (large animals): 2551 W. Ave. H, Lancaster (call 562-706-8581 before arriving);
- Devore Animal Shelter (pets/livestock): 19777 Shelter Way, San Bernardino (call 909-386-9820 or after hours 800-472-5609).
Road closures
- SR-138 desde Lone Pine Canyon Road hasta Beekley Road;
- SR-2 closed from Big Pines to SR-138;
- Big Pines Highway;
- Big Rock Creek Road;
- San Gabriel Canyon y East Fork del ro San Gabriel;
- Highway 39;
- East Fork Road;
- Glendora Ridge Road;
- Glendora Mountain Road; y
- Mount Baldy Road en la interseccin de Shinn Road
Cal Fire officials estimated the fire had destroyed 19 residential, commercial and other structures and damaged six others. However, more than 11,000 structures remained in danger as of Saturday.
No significant injuries were reported.