Bridge fire takes on proportions, man arrested in connection with line fire

Line fire

Officials said Tuesday that a man had been arrested on suspicion of starting the Line Fire in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles. The fire now covers 34,600 acres and is 14 percent contained.

Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco is believed to have set the fire in the area of ​​Baseline Road and Alpin Street in the city of Highland on Sept. 5, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said. Officials did not disclose how he started the fire.

On Tuesday, he was booked into the Central Detention Center on arson charges and held on $80,000 bail.

The fire, which started on Sept. 5, continued to spread on steep terrain described as difficult to access and affected “key radio towers on Keller Peak,” compromising vital communications channels for responding to the incident, CalFire’s San Bernardino County unit said.

According to the fire department, power outages are expected in parts of Big Bear and Bear Valley for safety reasons.

About 65,600 structures are threatened by the fire. Evacuation orders and additional evacuation warnings are in place for the communities of Running Springs, Arrowbear Lake, Forrest Falls, Mountain Home Village and parts of Big Bear.

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the Line Fire on Saturday and said the state’s National Guard would assist in fighting the fire.

Airport fire

In Orange County, the Airport Fire is now over 22,000 acres in size, according to the latest figures from CalFire. It broke out on Monday afternoon as a 7-acre brush fire in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County south of Los Angeles.

As of Tuesday evening, the Orange County Fire Department reported 0% containment and reported no damage to homes or buildings.

The fire was initially reported near an airfield used by hobbyists to fly remote-controlled aircraft. On its website, a local flying club called Trabuco Flyers stated that no remote-controlled aircraft were in the air at the time the fire started.

“The cause of the fire, as we announced yesterday, is an accident, unintentional, caused by heavy equipment working in the area of ​​the RC airport,” OCFA Captain Paul Holaday said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Evacuation orders and warnings are in effect.

“One of our challenges is competition from other fires in California,” Fire Chief Brian Fennessey said Tuesday, referring to the Bridge and Lines fires. “All of these fires put a strain on the limited resources we have available.”

On Tuesday, Newsom’s office said it had mobilized nearly 6,000 ground troops, as well as hundreds of fire trucks, 51 helicopters and 141 water tankers to fight 16 active wildfires in the state.

Davis Fire

The Davis fire has also caused devastating damage in neighboring Nevada, including near Big Bear, where the Line fire was already raging. By Tuesday evening, it had spread to over 2,200 hectares of land and was 31 percent contained.

The U.S. Forest Service for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest warned that “extreme fire conditions” were expected Wednesday due to high winds “that could lead to rapid fire spread.” The National Weather Service issued a red flag “especially dangerous situation” for the Sierra Front, including the fire area, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT.

The fire broke out on Saturday in Davis Creek Regional Park south of Reno and burned large areas of wood and brush.

Tuesday marked the last day of high temperatures near the fires in Nevada and Southern California, and a cool airflow will arrive from the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday.