Later Saturday afternoon, 100-foot-high flames broke out near the San Bernardino County reservoir, prompting road closure and evacuation, prompting more than 100 people to shelve the highway.
The fire, known as the Lake Fire, broke out shortly before 4 p.m. in the Silverwood Lake State Recreation area near Highway 173 and the Cedar Springs Dam Trail. By 8:48 p.m., the fire had increased to 478 acres from a few hours ago, according to California fire officials. The fire contains zero.
More than 100 people were in the reservoir when the fire broke out and was forced to escape from the flames. Rowingers and motorboats helped evacuate people from the beach to another area where they were taken to the roadside vote on Hubei Highway 173. Many people wear beach outfits and slippers.
Shaun Kirkman and his girlfriend Amber King are forced to flee.
“I was fishing in the west of the beach, in the vegetation,” Kirkman said. “The fire sounded like Velcro, so I kept fishing and then loud. I saw 100 feet of flames. My girlfriend and I ran there.”
Gloria Orejel, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, said about 75 to 100 people camping in the area and were forced to evacuate everything they have. Park rangers helped people transport people to another location on the highway, she said. The group had been brought back to their vehicle as of 8 p.m.
Authorities said an evacuation order had been issued. Evacuation warnings north of Highway 138, while south of the expressway between Interstate 15 and Highway 173 are under mandatory evacuation.
Shaun Kirkman and his girlfriend Amber King are beaches evacuated from Cleghorn Beach as the lake fire burned on Saturday at Silverwood Lake, California.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Cal Fire said it was unified command with local authorities including the San Bernardino County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service. Firefighters have been fighting the fire on the ground and in the air. Fire is zero.
Firefighters are expected to get some much-needed relief as humidity may increase from 20% to 45% overnight, while gusts help drive the fire, which will gradually decrease by 10 p.m.
“However, Sunday’s situation will dry again, with humidity dropping to 20% and afternoon gusts of 25 mph,” Cal Fire said in a written statement. “Monday is expected to bring strong gusts of storms of over 30 mph, which could challenge the crackdown efforts.”
Cal Fire officials said personnel are alert to monitoring weather to adjust their operating strategies accordingly. The reason is still under investigation.
On Friday, the Southern California Fire Chief warned that the catastrophic wildfire season could be a season in rainy and dry conditions.
