Line Fire in Highland: Evacuation order issued for parts of Big Bear as fire continues to rage in San Bernardino County

HIGHLAND, Calif. (KABC) — An evacuation order was issued for part of Big Bear Tuesday afternoon as the 27,000-acre Line Fire continues to rage in the Highland region of San Bernardino County.

According to the sheriff, residents in the area from Big Bear Dam east to Wildrose Lane and the south shore south of Bluff Lake Basin have been asked to leave the area. There is also an evacuation order in place for communities including Running Springs, Forest Falls, Angelus Oaks and Wrightwood.

Highway 330 in Highland, closed to the public, is one of the main roads used to transport resources into the mountains. Two of the main routes to and from Big Bear – Highway 18 from the west and Highway 38 through the east – are both closed.

By Tuesday afternoon, most residents had already been evacuated, but as the fire approaches the mountain communities, people are running out of time.

Cal Fire Interactive Map

This interactive map from Cal Fire shows the latest evacuation orders and warnings, as well as road closures and detours:

This 3D map, also from Cal Fire, shows the width of the fire zone and includes current area information.

Crews are making progress

Cal Fire said crews made good progress thanks to improving weather conditions.

“The conditions have started to stabilize as far as the thunderstorms go, we did not expect that for [Tuesday,]” said Brent Pascua, a battalion chief with Cal Fire.

Firefighters in Angelus Oaks picked their way through steep and rugged terrain Tuesday, using chainsaws and other tools to create defensible areas. The Line Fire is slowly advancing northeast toward Big Bear, but is getting closer to Mountain Home Village and Highway 38.

The U.S. National Guard is helping to protect homes from potential looters, and firefighters from across the country have also arrived to help.

“It's like a family, a huge family across the United States,” said Benjamin Brick, whose team came to San Bernardino County from New Jersey. He said they were monitoring the extreme fire behavior his crew was seeing as they came west.

“They burn fast, very fast compared to home,” he said.