Line Fire Update 9/12/24

Dear Camp Supporters:   

I snapped this photo of the camp sign on my way out of the gate on Monday night.  I was accompanied by two dedicated employees, John Hocutt and Steve Johnston, who stayed late into the evening to help me secure the camp.

Driving out of camp was such a difficult thing to do, tears flowed all the way down the mountain, as I thought back to the El Dorado fire and how that small flame in upper Yucaipa set the mountain on fire. Listening to the car radio I heard that the Line Fire had already burned 18,000 acres.  The El Dorado Fire in total was around 22,000 acres.  The thought of losing more forestland and so many animals is overwhelming.  The thought of people losing their homes and businesses is painful.  The thought of de Benneville Pines and all the camps in the Barton Flats area being in peril is heartbreaking.  It is just too much!

As we drove down hwy 38 from Angelus Oaks, we could see fire up on the ridgeline, and the flames were gobbling up the hillside right below Mountain Home Village and Camp Loch Levon (Morton Peak).  By the time we got down to the ranger station, the entire mountainside at the entrance to the canyon was ablaze.  Hundreds of people were parked along hwy 38 just watching the fire like one would watch a fireworks show.

Art campers evacuated on Sunday and all staff were out of camp by 8 pm on Monday. Daisy Doodle is with me in Redlands. She brought with her two of her favorite toys, Miss Kitty and Dirty Piggy.

Special thanks to the employees who stayed thru to the end to help with closing the camp, Zandy and Viktoriia.  Thanks to Aileen, Kyle, Claire, Ben and Marty for their help getting campers safely out and getting equipment put away.  It took a team of people to leave the camp squared away.  My messages are coming to you a bit delayed because of the work of unloading all the items we hauled down from camp, and the sheer exhaustion I felt yesterday.  Although I was busy with calls and Zooms, I could not think straight at all.  Perhaps it was the shock of all the adrenaline leaving my body.

The following is an update sent to me by Joe Warner at the Boy Scout Camp.

Line Fire morning Report:  Yesterday was a devastating day with all three Southern California large fires experiencing major and explosive growth.  The Line Fire is 34,289 acres and 14% contained this morning. Yesterday, the fire made a run up Bear Creek and burned structures in Running Springs, including the 100-year-old Keller Peak Fire Lookout.  The fire experienced a smaller run up the Santa Ana River drainage to within 1 mile of Angelus Oaks.  Significant resources from throughout the Country have begun to be deployed to Southern CA fires yesterday and today.

Today is a transition day, we have a Red Flag Warning in the mountains for SW winds to 20-25 MPH expiring late this afternoon, then winds are expected to relax and relative humidities are expected to begin to rise. This is good news and should moderate explosive fire behavior by tonight.  Surface shading from heavy smoke will also lower fire behavior until the inversion lifts around noon. Temperatures are then expected to remain at seasonal norms with lighter SW winds through the rest of this week. Fire behavior in timber is expected to be confined to torching individual trees today rather than extensive crown fire with major runs.  However, surface fuels and chaparral continue to be very dry and will support continued fire movement.

The picture for Camp’s fate and for Big Bear is less dire as a result of the changing weather and fire behavior, but it’s not over yet!  For Angelus Oaks the verdict is still out, but today they have some dozer line in place which follows a prescribed burn the FS got done earlier this year. They will likely backfire from this line, so hope for the best today.   The fire will continue moving up the Santa Ana Canyon but not as fast, and the changing weather will give firefighters an opportunity to work the fire’s edge directly. The fire is currently 6 miles from the west side of Camp Tahquitz property.

In closing today’s report, I have a feeling of gratitude. Another day and Angelus Oaks has not burned, even though the fire crackles in the trees above the town. All campers and employees are safe, albeit, the staff are displaced and squatting with friends and relatives. Daisy Doodle has finally fallen asleep after two days of hyper vigilance, barking at every new sound. She has her Dirty Piggy under her armpit as she snores. So she is exhausted too. We are all safe.

Thank you for keeping Camp in your thoughts and “prayers”.

Janet James

Executive Director

director@uucamp.org