Fire crew watching fire progress near Angelus Oaks on hwy 38

Line Fire Update 9/13/24

Dear Camp Supporters: 

I woke up this morning clearer headed. The “smoke headache” has finally subsided. It was a doozy dragging on for several days.

Some of you have been texting with questions about Daisy Doodle. Thank you for your sweet questions and concern for her wellbeing. Daisy and I went for a walk around the concrete neighborhood this morning. She found some grass to sniff and seemed happy about that. So many new smells and sounds to take in. She darts back against my leg when a loud truck goes by on the busy street. When I think about it, her life at camp has been serene, and without loud traffic noise. Wake up at 7 am, go sit behind the lodge kitchen and wait for some employee to toss a turkey sausage towards her feet. Wander around to the lodge patio and look cute and wait for a camper to rub her head and ears. There is a lot of head-rubbing if she stands in the doorway long enough.

Then it’s off to the volleyball court where “dog mom” tosses Dirty Piggy over the net about 10 times. The only way to get her to drop Dirty Piggy is to toss a ball. So, the game is Ball, Dirty Piggy, Ball, Dirty Piggy, Ball , Dirty Piggy… Then it’s off to the office with me. Office work gets old pretty quick, and it’s time for her to go outside the Coffee House to harass squirrels. Daisy spends hours digging in holes for a ground squirrel or barking at treetops at a mad gray squirrel. Toss in a nap, repeat process for lunch and dinner, and we have our camp doggie day. Believe it or not, she is worn out by 6 pm, and after some grooming and petting she happily goes to sleep for the night. She is a long, late sleeper. She rarely asks to go out until 7 am, and in winter, she will stay hunkered down until 10 am. How does she do it?

Right now, Daisy is sitting under my computer desk at my feet, asleep. She went to the groomers to get the mud and ash out of her fuzzy fur and came home with a summer hair cut! Well, she looks and smells clean, and the fur will grow before winter–I hope. I think it’s safe to say Daisy is “off” her game. She is “needy”, which is to be expected. I know I feel anxious and upset and sleep deprived, so I expect she does too.

This morning, we got some upbeat news from Joe Warner at the Boy Scout Camp Tahquitz (right next door to de Benneville Pines). He is in close contact with the fire fighters and provides the BFCA camps with updates. Here is his “better news” report.

9/13/24 Little growth occurred in the last 24 hours and containment grew.

The fire is 37,743 acres with 21% containment. Cooler weather with greatly reduced winds has arrived with decent overnight recovery of relative humidities, moderating fire growth. A persistent and heavy smoke inversion is shading fuels and also retarding growth. A chance of showers is coming Sunday night and again on Wednesday night. This condition should continue to allow control efforts directly on the fire’s edge through the coming week.

Significant progress is being made on the flank of the fire facing Camp Tahquitz. Fire line is in place for Angelus Oaks, and it reinforces the prescribed burn conducted there earlier this year. The main fire has bumped this line and its holding. Further east, they are extending the line into the Santa Ana River Canyon, working both direct on the fire’s edge and following a significant ridge. This line should be tied into the bottom of the canyon by late today or tomorrow. Across the canyon, a hand constructed line is proposed to drop into the north side of the Santa Ana River from the Big Bear Ridge following the direct edge of the fire. Significant crews and dozers will be assigned to this very steep terrain again today. These efforts are holding the fire about 5.5 miles west of Camp.

The fire is still a sleeping giant. The test comes when drier weather returns and the new fire line is challenged in the weeks ahead. Crews will enhance this new line daily in anticipation of the coming test.

The stress and upset of being evacuated and displaced is real. My heart goes out to all of our employees who are sleeping on a sofa or in a guest room at the home of a friend or relative. Our head cook, Aileen, flew to Oregon to attend a family event, and is now helping her son evacuate his home. So, she leaves the Line Fire evacuation only to find herself in another fire evacuation on her vacation. Two other employees are displaced all the way out in Surprise, Arizona with friends, and another is housed with our board president. And another sits in worry with dear friends in Yucaipa as her home in Angelus Oaks, filled with childhood memories, is right on the fire line.

Our thoughts and good wishes are with all of our employees as they endure worry over their jobs and homes in the mountains, as well as experience the upset of being displaced.

Thank you for holding the camp in your hearts as well as the employees who devote their time and talents to taking care of it for you.

Janet James

Executive Director

director@uucamp.org