Wednesday Morning Updates after 12:10 pm (PDT)



- Report on Ch 4 showed Bill Smith from the Fire Department standing in front of the Fire Station on the 18, by the water company - smoke to the west - fire is in Deep Creek. Major stand successful to keep the fire west of the 330. Reporter is standing in/near Green Valley Lake. [Vicki]

Unconfirmed:
- "I called Channel 7 News and they do not care to cover the Twin Peaks areas nor the Cliffhanger area." [Tess]
- "The SBSO has told them if they pull stunts like that again they will be kicked off the mountain. ABC7 informed that they no longer had a desire to provide coverage whatsoever for the San Bernardino fires." [email]
- [webmaster: I guess the professionalism of the firefighters is too much for some tv people.]
- "Received a call from a friend of the family who is a Captain for the Fire Dept. He was assigned to Twin Peaks. At 7:00am they were ordered to evacuate the city of Twin Peaks for their own protection. I am truly sorry for the bad news." [Jeff]

- You could call Channel 5 (KTLA), I heard that they are very flexible and are willing to get what you need on the screen. [message board]

- Scanner: Twin Peaks Sheriff Substation being evacuted...all weapons and ammunition being moved to secondary command post.

- Evaluating the back of Crestline (Cottonwood and CPP). Not good. The front side of Crestline seems to in the clear. [The Stockade]

- Fire approaching Squints Ranch (NE of Lake Arrowhead, outside of Cedar Glen), Bacon Flats, and Hook Creek. [KCAL9]

- No equipment in the Pilot Rock facility. Also, no crews in Cedar Pines Park. The fire is in the Old Willow Fire (2 yrs ago) area. [scanner]

- "GVL, the view from a rock point, overlooking Arrowhead, the fire moved from Heaps Peak north to the old burn area from 4 years ago. My brother in law who was a Hotshot and has fought over 200 fires said he had never seen a fire move so fast. It burned through the trees in a blink, like a flash fire. GVL is ok for now, but now sitting between two fires. The fire seems be going around GVL but could change with wind shift. Firefighters gathering in GVL in case winds shift." [Jeff]

- An ABC7 reporter decided to interrupt a strike force meeting to ask the "same old common sense" questions. Let them WORK! Scanner: Reporters at RHS are really concerning the crews up there. Some reporters screwed up yesterday with understanding safety.

- Channel 9 is reporting that the fire is now again moving rapidly towards Lake Arrowhead. [message board, unconfirmed, someone email me a confirmation]

- The visual on TV show the flames at the backside of Crestline are HUGE; the helicopter crew could hear the rumbling of the fire and dead trees falling. Seems like every 3rd tree is dead and it is crowning. Serious concerns and frustrations by the crews.

-Running Springs: The fire went across 18 to the east of the crews and bumped 330 below them. More support coming.

- Concerns from readers: TV reporters keep giving an impression that the threat to Lake Arrowhead and Crestline has passed. For those listening to the scanners, this is far from the truth. We know that reporters are not allowed past the 5000ft level (somewhat due to Chuck Henry decision to push his report), so there is a not a lot of NEW information from them. They are only dramatically repeating the same stuff. (Message boards are filled with more questions than facts.) If you have any CONFIRMED reports, please share them.

- The fire is in Hesperia down by the tracks; it has "cranked like a freight train" over Crestline and is travelling FAST with severe visibility. It is not stopping. Other flanks of the fire (such as the threat of Grandview are also advancing) are not slowing down either. Evacuations in progress.

- Structure Threat: 138 & Summit Valley. There is a strike team on Summit Valley Rd. The fire has jumped Valley rd and the on both sides of the tracks; trying to notify to stop trains. (As we saw yesterday, trains don't stop for anything.)

- They are going with Hook Creek for a visual of a fire. Crews at the resorts are being prepped for possible last minute evacuations. The north side of the lake (UCLA Conf Ctr) is going to be protected. Route 173 is no longer a possible escape route. "If there is a hole, this fire will find it." [Scanner]

- Areas with imminent danger: Monument Peak and Sawpit, wrapped around the hillside at 138; completely surrounding Cedar Pines Park, Thousand Pines, and Mountain High Park. It is now approaching Grandview. The actual fire line is 4 miles wide. At 3am, there was an order to get the civilians out of the area. As of now, Lake Arrowhead was contained. Running Springs is now surrounded (crossing over at 4am; but there was the east side burning already). They are holding off the fire at Job's Peak at the Mozumdar Temple (unconfirmed). [resident in Crestline]

- One of the most powerful solar flares ever recorded erupted this morning near giant sunspot 486. The explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) directly toward Earth. Bright auroras could appear when the fast-moving cloud sweeps past our planet--perhaps as early as tonight. High-latitude sites such as New Zealand, Scandinavia, Alaska, Canada and US northern border states from Maine to Washington are favored, as usual, but auroras could descend to lower latitudes, too. Not all CMEs trigger auroras. Several, for instance, have swept past Earth in recent days without causing widespread displays. It all depends on the orientation of tangled magnetic fields within the electrified cloud of gas. This CME is no exception. It might cause auroras, or it might not. We will find out when it arrives. Stay tuned to SpaceWeather.com for updates. [Terry]

- Scanners: units ordered to use garden hoses to top off engine tanks until water tenders arrive. Calling for dozer crews at Manzanita Rd. Fire picking up just west of the helibase. [Scott]

- 10% containment; but still out of control.

Posted: Wed - October 29, 2003 at 06:05 AM      

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