Wrightwood - Day 3

7:15 PM - No homes in Wrightwood were destroyed. Wrightwood residents were allowed to return to their homes at noon on Tuesday October 6th.  The fire is 75% contained.

Resources assigned to the fire are: 62 handcrews, 120 engines, 4 dozers, 19 water tenders, 13 helicopters and 10 airtankers. 

Cost to date to fight the fire:  $3.85 million
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry I didn't post more yesterday.  Had to work and when I got home, I was busy with chores, etc. getting ready to head to CA.  Did laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it again, did a bunch of dishes that were just too big to go in the dishwasher, made ribs for dinner, put away the scrapbooking stuff I got at the convention on Friday, found the top of the island, called Julie to wish her Happy Birthday, and made taco sauce.  Yes, "I" made taco sauce.

So, here is the latest on the fire....

Due to favorable weather conditions, minimal fire activity was observed yesterday with creeping fire and smoldering.  The fire only burned another three hundred acres.  The mandatory evacuation remains in effect for thousands of residents affected by the fire. According to San Bernardino County fire officials, seven residential structures have been destroyed, but the fire is still restricted to the southeast side of Highway 2 and the south side of Highway 138.  HOWEVER, winds were expected to pick up overnight so it was hard to say what today will bring.

One home on Laura Street off of Walnut Street in Wrightwood suffered moderate fire damage Monday. That blaze may have started inside the home and the cause is still under investigation.  Three homes were lost in Swarthout Canyon near Sheep Canyon and four in Cajon Canyon.

The Sheep Fire started near Sheep Canyon Road near Lytle Creek  It burned northeast to Swarthout Canyon Road, then northwest up Lone Pine Canyon. The fire burned to near the top of Lone Pine Canyon near Wrightwood about 3/10 of a mile from Wrightwood homes. Firefighters have been successful in keeping the fire from burning into Wrightwood.

The fire is 30% contained. When referring to a fire, the difference between a fire being contained or controlled can be unclear. When a fire is contained a fuel break has been completed around the fire manually by hand line, and/or mechanically by dozer line. These breaks may also include the use of natural barriers such as rocky outcroppings. When a fire is controlled, it has been extinguished completely, including hot spots. When a fire has been controlled, the fireline is secure enough so that flare-ups within the fire perimeter will not break through the line. Therefore, just because a line is contained does not mean that the fire is controlled.

Mandatory evacuations are still in place for Wrightwood.  Hwy 138, between I-15 and Hwy 2, is now open. This does not affect Wrightwood residents. Hwy 2 remains closed. Lone Pine Canyon Road and Swarthout Canyon Road also remain closed. Lytle Creek Road is open to residents with ID only.

A couple of maps to help visualize the scope of this fire....click the map to make it larger for viewing.

The whole of the fire, including the ignition point.  Seriously looks like arson to me - off on a back road, right where someone knew it would head right up into Wrightwood.  Dumb arsonists.  You ruin so many people's lives.

Auntie's house in relation to the fire.

This is a map of Wrightwood.  In the very far bottom right corner, you can see the tip of the fire.  It is right on the edge of the town.  Auntie's house is at the yellow dot area.  Not far at all, but at least at the end of town - so the fire would have to go through the whole town before it got to her house.

Here are a couple newscasts: