Firefighters in Southern California’s mountain region battled the flare-up of a monthlong arson fire on Sept. 29 as flames made a run up a dry river drainage.
The Line fire in San Bernardino County, about 100 miles west of Los Angeles, sparked on Sept. 5 and has grown to nearly 68 square miles in the mountains of San Bernardino National Forest.
“The last few days of above normal temperatures have dried out both the vegetation and moisture from the air,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) wrote in a Sept. 30 update. “Firefighters had expected some movement along the open line in this area; however, fire behavior exceeded expectations.”
Cal Fire reported that dry vegetation, steep slopes, and wind in the region also fueled the flames.
The fire is about 80 percent contained, according to fire officials.
The Seven Oaks community, an unincorporated resort village in the San Bernardino Mountains about 110 miles south of Los Angeles, remains under evacuation orders. The Angelus Oaks and Boulder Bay area of the resort town of Big Bear were under evacuation warnings on Sept. 30.
About 1,200 fire personnel continue to battle the major blaze, with 10 helicopters, 69 fire engines, 14 bulldozers, and 10 water tenders. California Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the National Guard to send personnel and equipment to help fight the fire on Sept. 10.
The fire has destroyed one house and damaged four others.
Four people have been injured during the incident, according to Cal Fire.
Fire crews will continue to focus on the Santa Ana River drainage on Sept. 30, Cal Fire reported.
More crews and equipment were moved into the area, including four night-flying helicopters that were dropping water on the drainage.
The fire is being managed by the San Bernardino National Forest, San Bernardino County Fire, Cal Fire’s San Bernardino unit, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom assigned National Guard members to help battle the Line fire in September 2024. (Cal Fire)
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the second area with active fire activity was the Bear and Siberia creek drainages. Crews were able to put in a fire break in that area.
“This area has been a challenge due to the extremely steep terrain,” the U.S. Forest Service wrote in an update on Sept. 29.
More resources and equipment were expected to arrive on Sept. 30.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and fire investigators arrested Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco, on Sept. 10 on suspicion of starting the Line fire in the area of Baseline Road and Aplin Street in Highland.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson charged Halstenberg with nine arson charges on Sept. 12, including causing an injury to a firefighter, arson of homes and forest land, possessing an incendiary device, and other charges. Other charges may be added, Anderson said in a statement.
Based on evidence received in the investigation, the district attorney said his office believed that the defendant attempted to ignite multiple fires within an hour.
“The devastation that has unfolded due to the alleged actions of one man cannot be undone,” Anderson wrote in the statement.
Southern California is expected to get even hotter weather this week.
According to the National Weather Service, San Bernardino County was forecasted to see a 99-degree high temperature on Sept. 30, spiking to 104 degrees on Oct. 1 and 105 degrees on Oct. 2.
The weather service has issued a heat advisory for the county starting on Oct. 1 and ending on the night of Oct. 2.
A firefighter from the Riverside County Fire Department puts out a hot spot in a home that burned in the Airport fire in El Cariso Village near Lake Elsinore, Calif., on Sept. 11, 2024. {Zoë Meyers/AFP via Getty Images)
Fires throughout the state this summer have caused extensive damage to homes and property.
Cal Fire and other fire agencies working in the state have responded to 6,500 wildfires this year that involved nearly 1,600 square miles combined.
Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency on Sept. 29 in response to the Boyles fire in Lake County, a rural county with about 68,000 residents about 110 miles northwest of Sacramento.
The state secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this month to help get resources to suppress the fire.
The fire started on Sept. 8 and scorched less than one square mile. It was extinguished within three days, according to Cal Fire.
Newsom’s emergency proclamation, which will help residents affected by the fire to receive unemployment benefits, waives fees to replace documents, such as driver’s licenses and birth certificates. It also speeds up debris removal and cleanup of hazardous waste from the fire.