SBNF Re-opens

[sarah]

Date: November 6, 2003
San Bernardino National Forest
1824 S. Commercenter Circle
San Bernardino, California 92408

For Immediate Release
Contacts: Ruth Wenstrom 909-315-5863

Forest Areas Reopen to the Public
Unburned areas within the San Bernardino National Forest will reopen to the public on Friday to allow for weekend use, according to Forest Supervisor Gene Zimmerman.

“We greatly appreciate the public’s patience and cooperation while the closure was in effect,” said Forest Supervisor Gene Zimmerman. “Keeping the area closed allowed us to focus all of our energy on fighting the fire. Now that the immediate danger is past, we’re anxious to make the unburned areas available for recreation use.”

Areas damaged by the fire will remain closed to help ensure recovery, added Zimmerman. “Damage by vehicles is one of the primary problems in successful restoration and preventing illegal vehicle use is one of our biggest challenges.” The Forest is also keeping the Pinnacles OHV Staging Area closed because it provides direct access for vehicles to enter the fire area.

The closure area includes all National Forest land between the Angeles National Forest on the west and Highway 330 on the east, with the exception of the area north of Lone Pine Canyon Road. In the area east of Running Springs, the closure extends east along Highway 18 to Green Valley Road, then northeast along Forest Roads 3N16 and 3N14 to the Forest boundary.

Forest Roads 1N09 and 1N13 will be closed, as well as all Forest roads and trails within the closure area. State and Federal Highways are not affected by the closure order, and their reopening is dependent upon the completion of repairs.

Visitors who need detailed information on the new closure boundaries should contact the nearest Forest Service office.

[sarah]

Press Release: Fire Burn Path Overview

Old Fire Incident – NEWS RELEASE
November 7, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ruth Wenstrom
(909) 315-5863

Heroic Actions of Firefighters Save Thousands of Homes

San Bernadino, CA. -- A group of local firefighters received heavy praise for its role in saving thousands of mountain homes threatened by the Old Fire. “The backfiring operations carried out by a handful of local fire crews literally saved thousands of homes,” said Hal Mortier, previous incident commander of the Old Fire.

Firefighters first worked on fire line construction in the Crestline area. “The day after the fire broke out, it jumped Highway 18 near Crestline,” said Forest Service Battalion Chief Randy Clauson. “Our crews really hustled and were able to stop the fire at the ridge. We lost a number of homes, but we got a good fire line in along the ridge.” The line kept the fire from burning into the rest of the community, and also gave firefighters an anchor point to work from in attacking the fire.

“The next day we moved to the east, ahead of the approaching fire,” said Clauson. Starting with a half dozen engines and one crew from the San Bernardino National Forest, the California Department of Forestry, and local fire protection districts, crews began lighting backfires near the Cliffhanger Restaurant. Firefighters worked eastward, igniting the brush below the highway as they went. With Santa Ana winds pushing the fire back toward San Bernardino, conditions were ideal for the firing operation. “The wind pulled the fire back down the hill, and away from mountain homes,” added Clauson. “Our crews were able to burn away the vegetation along seven miles of highway between the Cliffhanger and Santa’s Village.”

For the most part, the fire held along the highway, but as the flames roared up the hill from below, they crossed the highway at Strawberry Peak and again at Santa’s Village. “The wall of flames coming out of the canyons was incredible,” said Clauson. “It blew right over us.” Crews were able to catch and contain the fire at both Strawberry Peak and Santa’s Village. Without the backfiring, Clauson added, the results would have been different. “The fire would have jumped the road on its entire front, and burned into the communities around Lake Arrowhead.”

On October 29, the Santa Ana winds subsided and the fire pushed up hill more rapidly. “We had planned to backfire all the way to Running Springs, but we didn’t have enough time to finish it,” added Clauson. “The fire got ahead of us, and went around our lines at both ends. A huge fire whirl came up from the canyon below Heap’s Peak and jumped right over us. The fire got into the dead trees and then made a run to Cedar Glen.”

Forest Supervisor Gene Zimmerman praised the firefighters for their work in protecting homes. “The fire burned in a horseshoe shape around the Lake Arrowhead area communities. The unburned area in the center is a direct result of this backfiring operation” Zimmerman said. He went on to add, “We’re starting to hear rumors that the backfires carried out by these folks are responsible for the fire moving through Cedar Glen. Nothing could be further from the truth. These guys are the real heroes who saved most of this community.”
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NOTE TO MEDIA: JPEG versions of maps specifically related to this news release are available at www.calmast.org.

[Dukes69]

Thats good News. I wonder how bad the trails were damaged

[sarah]

here's some maps:
http://jicfire.calmast.org/maps/index.html

looks like it got cleghorn and dishpan, but everything else might be ok.
http://jicfire.calmast.org/maps/imag...31104_2100.jpg