Cool Weather Helps Contain SoCal Wildfires

15,000 Acres Burned, Gov. Schwarzenegger Declares State Of Emergency In San Bernardino

(CBS/AP)  Good news, in the form of cooler weather and shifting winds, came for firefighters battling wildfires in the area of Big Bear Lake in southern California.

Firefighters were gaining ground on two wildfires that raged through brush left dry by high summer temperatures. A change in wind direction Sunday helped crews begin containing a 15,433-acre - or more than 24 square mile - wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest that left hundreds evacuated from homes and two major roadways closed.

CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reported that about 1,800 firefighters are still battling the mountain blaze, using helicopters and 12 airplanes.

The fire was burning in a northwest direction away from the resort mountain community of Big Bear Lake, Forest Service spokeswoman Norma Bailey said.

About 340 residents of the Fawnskin area remained evacuated Sunday night but another 1,200 who voluntarily left their homes in Green Valley Lake have returned, Bailey said.

The fire could be seen as far away as Las Vegas. Evacuee Rob Shepherd saw the glow from his home in the Big Bear area and packed up his pets.

"The dog is very good, he likes to ride in the vehicle, so he's happy," he told CBS News.

Highway 38 remained closed from Big Bear Dam to the Stanfield Cutoff, Bailey said, while Highway 18 was shut down from the dam to Running Springs. Six schools in the Bear Valley Unified School District canceled classes Monday as a precaution, affecting 3,200 students.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County on Saturday, clearing the way for state government assistance with costs related to the fire. The fire burned several outbuildings at a campground.

In eastern San Diego County, another fire near the historic mining town of Julian, Calif., burned 1,300 acres, or more than 2 square miles, authorities said Sunday. A vacation home was burned and five outstructures destroyed. That fire, which authorities said was started by an illegal campfire, is expected to be contained by tomorrow.

The blaze led to the evacuation of about 400 people from the nearby subdivision of Whispering Pines. Residents in the southern part of the subdivision were allowed back in their homes Sunday after evacuating Saturday.

[my2centss]

Cooler weather? Where''s that global warming that California is suing about?

[tucano2]

Wow, talk about bureaucratic bungling! The fire on the first day, at around 2 pm, was no bigger than 3 Acres but nothing was done to put it down quickly that hour or day. Within 2 days the fire was about 18,000 acres and had forced the evacuation of many, plus stranded hundreds of boats at marinas because their Captains were not permitted to go fetch them. In the meantime
PhosCheck supplies were made available to Helos some 15 miles from the fire, a 30 mile round trip obviously required, instead of some 2 to 3 miles from the fire at an equally open upwind location, meaning a 5 mile roundtrip. The stupidity is obvious. The objective is to contain then put down the fire using, among other materials or techniques, PhosChek. Shortening the roundtrip would triple or quadruple the amount of PhosChek being laid down in the same time at the same operating cost. Since the Helos are operated by independants on a cost+ contract basis it is clear they have no interest in getting the job done quickly or providing safety to the taxpayers and their property in a short time - the longer they can stretch-out the work the more money they make, and that, for them, is the ONLY thing the business is all about. What ought to have been accomplished in under 3 hours without dislocating anyone or putting animals, people, or property in peril now seemingly is going to take forever. Disgusting "outsourcing".