Officials ordered a new evacuation for the Line fire Sunday, Sept. 29, nearly a month after the fire in the San Bernardino Mountains was first reported.
Residents were ordered to evacuate from Seven Oaks, a mountain community south of Big Bear Lake and north of Highway 38, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday afternoon. Emergency personnel were actively working in the area and firefighting aircraft were on order.
Evacuation warnings were also issued for Angelus Oaks, southwest of Seven Oaks; and the Boulder Bay area of Big Bear from the dam east to Wildrose Lane, the sheriff’s department said.
An evacuation center was set up at Redlands East Valley High School, 31000 E. Colton Ave., Redlands, Cal Fire said.
As the fire flared up in this area, one of the agencies fighting the fire, the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said on social media: “Structure Defense assets (are) staged in the area with additional assets en route.”
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The San Bernardino National Forest said on social media around 7 p.m. that because of the flareup, Highway 38 was ordered closed Sunday north of Angelus Oaks at the intersection of the Middle Control Road. It was also closed to the north by the Lake Williams community at Lakewood Drive. Motorists were advised to use Highway 18, the city of Big Bear Lake said.
The fire was moving to the northwest in the Santa Ana River drainage and had reached the Mile Creek drainage, the national forest said on X.
Highway 330 remained closed in both directions from Highland Avenue in Highland to Live Oak Drive near Running Springs. That closure was ordered shortly after the fire broke out.
More than a week ago, several evacuation warnings surrounding the Line fire had been lifted as crews gained ground against the fire, including one for the Seven Oaks community.
The new evacuation order came as the fire caused smokier air in the area Sunday, according to the national forest. Burning material has been rolling down into the drainage area and then burning upslope.
Forest officials encouraged residents to take additional precautions with the smoky air.
There was also active fire burning in the Bear and Siberia creek drainages, forest officials said.
It has been difficult for crews to fight the fire because of steep terrain. A spot for helicopters was being built to allow firefighters to be inserted and access the fire when possible, the forest said in a Sunday morning update.
The latest evacuation order was issued as temperatures reached the 80s in much of the fire area, the national forest said.
As of Sunday evening, the Line fire, which was first reported Sept. 5, was 83% contained and was measured at 42,837 acres — up from the 39,299 acres reported Saturday morning, Cal Fire reports showed.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco was arrested and accused of setting the fire in Highland. Officials believed he had set other fires, but didn’t release a motive.