The Line Fire in San Bernardino County, after burning for nearly a month, has grown again, prompting new evacuations Sunday.
Residents in the Seven Oaks and Barton Flats area, including all campgrounds and cabins, were ordered to evacuate due to the immediate fire threat.
“Emergency personnel are actively working in the area,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement post on X.
The fire, which has now consumed 40,219 acres, was still burning actively in Bear Creek on Sunday and was producing a lot of smoky conditions due to dried-out fuels, Cal Fire said.
The fire started Sept. 5 and, as it raged, threatened tens of thousands of buildings, eventually damaging at least four and destroying one, according to Cal Fire. Four firefighters have been injured since the fire started.
In early September, a stunned resident said the massive cloud caused by the fire looked apocalyptic. “It looked just like a nuclear warhead had been deployed in the mountains,” said Megan Vasquez.
As of Sunday’s flare-up, firefighters battling to bring the blaze under control were 83% contained.
Fallsvale Elementary School announced Sunday it would close its campus Monday because of the fire.
Angelus Oaks and the Boulder Bay area of Big Bear were under an evacuation alert.
The Bear Valley Unified School District, which includes Fallsvale, announced that other campuses would remain open Monday, although the district was aware of the heavy smoke from the fire and the concerns of families. School officials said they were consulting with local authorities and air quality experts and would continue to monitor air quality.
The latest update from Cal Fire noted that the fire had been challenging for firefighters due to the steep, mountainous terrain, and crews were working to build a helipad so firefighters could be flown in to access the area.
With temperatures reaching triple digits later in the week, Cal Fire noted that humidity had continued to drop. Fortunately, forecasters did not expect significant winds, which would make it more difficult to contain the fire.
Relative humidity in the fire area was expected to be as low as 12%, with wind gusts of about 15 mph.
Cal Fire said it had reinforced a critical containment line and had at least 10 helicopters working in the area of the fire.