Nightfall brought heightened danger to hundreds of firefighters battling the 100-acre Summit Fire in Big Bear Lake on Sunday night.
Updated Article: Firefighters Work Into Night
If firefighters hope to get an upper hand before sunrise, they will have to do it on their own – there is no air support, except for a helicopter that’s following the flow of flames.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered after the wildfire broke out about 12:30 p.m in the area of Knickerbocker Road and Pine Knot Avenue, near the Snow Summit Ski Resort, San Bernardino Fire Department said.
As of 11:30 p.m., the blaze had grown to 100 acres and was 30 percent contained, fire officials said.
For most of the day, some 300 firefighters attacked the blaze by land and air. One firefighters suffered a sprained ankle in the tough terrain.
"There's a lot of big rocks that have been held there in place by brush and trees and when those things burn off there's nothing to hold the rock," said Chon Bribiescas of the U.S. Forest Service.
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Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the area from Knickerbocker Road East to Georgia Road, and South of Pennsylvania to the forest boundary, according to San Bernardino National Forest officials.
Voluntary evacuations were in place for the area south of Brownie Lane, east of Thrush Drive, north of Switzerland Drive and west of Summit Boulevard.
A Red Cross evacuation center was set up at the Big Bear Convention Center at 42900 Big Bear Blvd. By Sunday night, 14 evacuees had checked in.
Small animals can be taken to the San Bernardino County Animal Shelter at 19777 Shelter Way in San Bernardino.
All Bear Valley Unified School District schools, except for Fallsvale, will be closed Monday due to the fire, district officials said.
Forest roads Radford, Clarks Grade and Wildhorse were closed.
For information, call 909-383-5688.
