Nearly 4,000 firefighters fought raging wildfires in Pioneertown, Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley and Joshua Tree National Park – all about a 30-minute drive northwest of Palm Springs – in San Bernardino County from July 9-20. Here’s a recap of The Desert Sun’s continuously updated coverage of the fires.

Fire about 80 percent contained
July 20, 9:22 p.m.
The Covington fire has grown to 225 acres, but is now 80 percent contained as it slowly travels southeasterly, fire officials said tonight.

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Fire now about 150 acres
July 20, 6:58 p.m.
About 200 firefighters are working the Covington Fire just inside Joshua Tree National Park. No containment exists so far and it has grown to 150 acres. No structures are too threatened right now.

"Right now it's in the park, which is where we want to keep it," said Cindy Von Halle, a park ranger and spokeswoman.

The affected area is wild back country that contains no structures or campgrounds.

It is problematic for animals living in the park.

"It's disastrous for the wildlife. We've got a drought going on anyway, a lot of animals lying low to survive and now they've got the stress of this fire."

The area is habitat for mule deer, bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and other animals.

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Storm could bring 40-mph gusts
July 20, 6:36 p.m.
A thunderstorm is on its way toward the Covington fire right now and may provide strong gusts of wind.

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Bulldozers may not be able to enter the national park
July 20, 6:04 p.m.
Bulldozers are allowed into the national park depending on the area, said spokesman Joe Zarki of Joshua Tree National Park.

"It depends on where the fire is burning and the resources in the area," he said. "We don't like to use bulldozers because they leave permanent scaring in the landscape. Health and safety issues are weighed."

Zarki wasn't sure if the three bulldozers on scene would be allowed into the park.

"They are discussing the strategy now," he said.

He said there are two incident commanders assigned: Chuck Heard with the National Park Service and Paul Sommers with the California Department of Forestry.

The latest:
200 people assigned.
8 Type 3 engines
1 strike team
5 helicopters
6 air tankers
7 handcrews with 20 people each
3 bulldozers
CDF, National Parks Service, US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management are on scene.
65 acres.

There are rumors of evacuations, he said. It's moving southwest.

The campground is open but has just a handful of visitors, he said.

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Fire headed east
July 20, 5:57 p.m.
Fire appears to be spreading to the east, more into the park and away from structures.

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Map of the Covington fire area
July 20, 5:57 p.m.

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Location helped to send firefighters to Covington fire
July 20, 5:40 p.m.
There are about 20 fire engines on scene, half protecting structures and another half fighting the Covington fire in Joshua Tree National Park.

Aircraft are still fighting the blaze, too.

Four hand crews are assisting as well. More are on the way.

CDF Fire Capt. Dave Petrinovich said the vicinity helped out for fighting this fire.

"A lot of our units were still on hand from the Sawtooth Complex Fire," he said.

The winds have picked up to 10 to 15 mph and sometimes blow toward the homes in southeastern Yucca Valley. The fire is about half a mile from there in Joshua Tree National Park.

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Black Rock campground closest to fire
July 20, 5:34 p.m.
Black Rock Canyon Campground is one of nine campgrounds in Joshua Tree National Park.

No one answered phone calls at the campground this afternoon.

The campground has 100 sites and is at a 4,000-foot elevation level.

It's at the northwest corner of the park, overlooking the town of Yucca Valley. The campgrounds are open yearround.

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Hand crews headed into fire area
July 20, 5:12 p.m.
2 CDF trucks headed up to the fire with hand crews.

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School can see the fire
July 20, 5:12 p.m.
At La Contenta Junior High School on La Contenta Road, administrative assistant Lori Rhodes said at 4:15 p.m. she can see white smoke, but it's just a "small area."

"There was black smoke, but it looks like it's all but out," she said, adding she went outside a few minutes ago to check out the fire.

She said summer school classes let out at 12:55 p.m.

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Fire poses no immediate threat
July 20, 4:57 p.m.
The fire is burning on a ridge line and poses no immediate threat.

But if it crosses the ridge line to the west, it would be in a valley that leads into Yucca Valley and the Black Rock campground if it crosses that ridgeline to the west, would lead into a valley area that leads into Yucca valley and park’s Black Rock campground.

“They’re trying to nip it in the bud before it gets too big,” said Joe Zarki, public information officer for Joshua Tree National Park.

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Lightning ignited Joshua Tree
July 20, 4:56 p.m.
Officials believe the Covington Fire started when lightning hit a Joshua Tree.

The trees are ripe for fire-starting. Because of its dense nature, fire can simmer inside the tree for hours – even days – before bursting, said Fire Capt. Marc DeRosier with California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.

“You could put a bazillion gallons of water on them and think you’ve got them out but you don’t,” he said.

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Covington Fire grows to 100 acres
July 20, 4:54 p.m.
The Covington Fire in Joshua Tree National Park has grown to 100 acres, and has the potential to spread about 500 acres.

The fire is burning in a southeasterly direction, back into the park.

About 200 firefighters, 2 water dropping helicopter and 6 airtankers are on scene, focused first on the area that has the most potential to head into Yucca Valley.

There is no estimated containment.

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Bulldozers coming in
July 20, 4:46 p.m.
Aircraft continue to drop retardants and water.

Bulldozers are going to create an arching firebreak to protect homes just north of the fire.

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Covington fire grows to 65 acres
July 20, 4:30 p.m.
The fire in Joshua Tree National Park has grown to 65 acres and is being called the Covington fire.

The fire does not pose any threat to nearby Yucca Valley or the surrounding communities, according to Joe Zarki, public information officer for Joshua Tree National Park.

There is no call for evacuations at this point.

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One couple has new home on the way
July 20, 4:13 p.m.
Ann Tembrook and husband Bob have been working on their dream home on a hill on Carmelita Place in Yucca Valley for a year and a half.

It's about one month from completion, she said as she watched a brush fire in the Joshua Tree National park less than a mile from her home.

"I know they'll take care of it, but it's still a little nervewracking," she said, flames visible from her home.

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A light wind is blowing
July 20, 4:06 p.m.
At least 4 helicopters and 2 airplanes are fighting the fire.

There’s light wind, but it’s blowing inconsistent directions.

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New fire ignites in Joshua Tree south of Yucca Valley
July 20, 4:02 p.m.
Crews are on the scene of a fire in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park.

The 50-acre fire is burning in a southwesterly direction, carrying it away from the nearby communities.

No evacuations have been called and no roadways have been closed, as of 3:40 p.m. today.

Aircraft are dropping retardant and water on the fire.

Firefighters are on Santa Barbara Drive for structure protection.

One neighborhood is about a mile from the fire. Residents are spraying down their houses with garden hoses.

“We’ve been watching it. As soon as it reached that foothill, I said, ‘I guess it’s time to start watering down the roof,’ ” said Jack Rarick, who lives on Santa Barbara. The foothill is about three-quarters of a mile away from his house.

At Parrten Products, an aerospace machine shop in Yucca Valley on La Contenta Road near Joshua Tree, Karan Parrett said she could see smoke in the distance but it didn’t look as bad as it was a couple hours ago.

"We can't see flames, jut smoke," she said. "The smoke was a lot thicker before. It looks like they are getting it under control."

She said she has an employee who lives near the flames who is "watching it real close" and is "on pins and needles" waiting for fire crews to get it under control.

It's when the winds start blowing that people start to worry, she said.
"We aren't panicking yet," she said. "It (the wind) looks like it's blowing west."

Fire started about 1:30 p.m.

Five engines are on site, two helicopters are dropping water. Officials are trying to get more air support.

The fire is about a mile from the park’s northern boundary.

Covington Flats is a tourist destination because it has Yucca, Joshua and Pinyon trees.

The fire appears to be in an or very close to an area where lightning strikes started four wildfires in June 1999. The fires charred 13,900 acres and cost about $1.2 million to fight, according to archived stories from The Desert Sun.

“That would cause it to go into an area where there’s not much fuel,” said Joe Zarki, public information officer for Joshua Tree National Park.

“They’re a little concerned about this because it’s burning up to a ridgeline.”

If it carries to the other side, it’s a concern because there’s population and campers there.

Joshua Tree no stranger to fires

Joshua Tree has had its share of fires in the recent past.

In 1999, wildfires burned nearly 14,000 acres, including a forest of the park’s namesake trees.

July 7 to 11, the Berdoo fire burned 190 acres and the Pushawalla burned 2,200 acres.

June 30, the Geo Fire burned near Jumbo Rocks campground and evacuated campers. It burned 740 acres.

Here's what other fires have done in the past:
1995 – 6,000 acres
1996 – 14,000 acres

Last year, about 70,000 acres burned in the Mojave preserve.

The fire sparked around 1:30 p.m., believed to be caused by lightning, and has grown to 40 or 50 acres, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention’s San Bernardino unit reports.

As of 2:50 p.m., the cause is still under investigation, though officials believe it may have been started by lightning.

Derek Bogue of Yucca Valley at 2:45 p.m. said he was watching the fire from Santa Barbara and Piedmont in Yucca Valley. He said a large bolt of lightning hit the area around 1:30 p.m.

“I can see the fire. I cannot tell you how big it is right now, but it’s a large one and it’s going to take a while to put out.”

Bogue said “almost immediately” four helicopters were on the scene, dropping fire retardant and water.

“It’s moving toward the (Joshua Tree) national park right now, which is good because there are no homes or structures up there,” Bogue told The Desert Sun.

Employees at the Sky Harbor Care Center in Yucca Valley said the fire is still miles away from their area.

Joshua Tree includes two deserts

The 800,000-acre park is larger than the state of Rhode Island and extends into two distinct deserts – the Mojave and the lower Colorado. More than 1.3 million people visited the park in 2005, a 10 percent increase from 2004. Most of the visitors come in the winter when the park is a prime destination for rock climbers.

The northern and western portions of the park are the areas most frequented by visitors. The Covington area near Yucca Valley includes camping and picnic grounds, 4x4 roads and views of the Morongo Basin and Coachella Valley.

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard Complex more than half contained
July 18, 10:29 p.m.
The latest Millard fire information:
Containment: 57 percent
Acreage: 24,210
Cost: $8 million
Crew: 701 personnel
Helicopters: 17
Bulldozers: 2

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth is now fully contained
July 18, 7:18 p.m.
61,700 acres
Cost: $16 million
2 bulldozers and 10 helicopters aided in today's effort.
No change in damage

-- The Desert Sun

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Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce to provide scam information
July 18, 5:10 p.m.
The Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce will provide scam prevention information at the California Welcome Center on Highway 62.

The Chamber says that, to check out a contractor, you can go to www.cslb.ca.gov or call Cheryl at the chamber at (760) 365-6323.

-- The Desert Sun

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A map of the Spring Fire in North Palm Springs
July 18, 3:57 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Band set to perform wildfire benefit concert
July 18, 2:57 p.m.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Jon Linn Band (country, rock) will perform a benefit wildfire concert at the Yucca Valley Community Center Ballfield, 57090 Twentynine Palms Highway.

The show is free but donations will be collected for the American Red Cross. The band will raffle off two custom guitars, including a Buck Owens acoustic.

Linn can be reached at (760) 660-5775 or 363-0089.

-- The Desert Sun

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Cause of death for Guthrie could take a few weeks
July 18, 2:44 p.m.
The official cause of death for Gerald "Jerry" Guthrie is “pending,” and autopsy found this morning.

Guthrie, 57, was found less than a mile from his Pioneertown Road home on Saturday. It is believed that Guthrie was caught in the Sawtooth Complex Fire when the area was evacuated July 11.

Blood samples will be sent out for toxicology and microscopic tissue studies, meaning it could take another three to nine weeks before officials know exactly how Guthrie died.

“When you have a body that’s burned beyond recognition, the key question is did he die from the fire or from something other than the fire,” said Randy Emon, San Bernardino County supervising deputy coroner.

“There could be something there that’s not visible to the naked eye.”

A memorial account has been set up with Washington Mutual to honor Jerry Guthrie. The account is being handled by the Yucca Valley branch, 57297 Twentynine Palms Highway.

Donations can be made at any branch or by calling the Yucca Valley location at 365-0683.

-- The Desert Sun

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Two injured during Spring fire
July 18, 12:59 p.m.
Officials said there were two injuries to firefighters who were helping to fight the Spring blaze.

A Palm Springs firefighter suffered a back injury, while a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter suffered the heat-related injury, said Engine Capt. Richard Gearhart, with the U.S. Forest Service.

Gearhart was part of a crew of firefighters helping to battle the Millard Complex Fire, who assisted with the Spring fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire crews will make sure Spring fire is out before leaving
July 18, 12:46 p.m.
One firefighter suffered a heat-related injury during the Spring incident, said Palm Springs Fire Department Division Chief Scott Ventura.

He added that fire crews will stay at the scene until they are certain the fire is extinguished.

"That's how that other fire got out of control," he said, referring to the Sawtooth Complex Fire. "They thought they had a line around it.

"We're in no hurry (to leave)," he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Another photo from the Spring Fire
July 18, 12:16 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Palm Springs Fire has partnership with Agua Caliente tribe
July 18, 12:15 p.m.
Palm Springs Fire has a partnership with the Agua Caliente tribe and work together for firefighting efforts, including use of water for aerial attacks.

That's why they called the Agua Caliente tribe today.

-- The Desert Sun

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Spring Fire stopped at about 20 acres
July 18, 12:14 p.m.
PALM SPRINGS -- A new wildfire that erupted in the mountains of North Palm Springs near Windy Point threatened homes today but was quickly contained at 20 acres by fast-acting firefighters.
The Spring Fire, which spread from a structure fire on Angel Canyon Trail straight up the ridge, started at about 10:25 a.m.
It was noticed by a crew of California Corrections Department firefighters that was returning from a week fighting the Sawtooth Fire in Yucca Valley. They saw the fire and reported it.
As the fire spread to 7-10 acres and the Riverside County Sheriff's department issued evacuations warnings to residents in the area, including The Western Village Mobile Ranch and RV Park, four aircraft were diverted from the Millard Fire to swoop in with water and fire retardant.
Palm Springs Fire Chief Blake Goetz was called in about 10:25 a.m. and Palm Springs Fire arrived about a minute later.
About 12 minutes later, they found flames about 100 feet up the mountain.
Two fixed-wing airplanes and two choppers assisted,
“It looks the fire has been pretty contained at 20 acres,” Goetz said at the scene about noon.
With help from the helicopter drops, the fire, which could have spread to the trailer park and new The Cove at Palm Springs home development in the area, was contained by about 11:55 a.m.
About 90 firefighters helped fight the Spring Fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Pavilion Theatre honors Millard and Sawtooth heroes and their famlies
July 18, 12:11 p.m.
PAVILION THEATRE OFFERS RELIEF TO FIRE HEROES FAMILIES AS THEIR LOVED ONES CONTINUE TO BATTLE LOCAL BLAZES.

As the Sawtooth and Millard fires rage on, the families of the firefighters and all support forces, are invited to the new comedy “Aga-Boom.”

As thousands of acres continue to burn and grow out of control, the Pavilion Theatre in Palm Springs is offering free admission to all family members of anyone working the wildfires to see the new comedy “Aga-Boom,” Wednesday, July 19. The flames have consumed land, homes and wildlife.

The true heroes are the firefighters, police officers, medical teams, dispatchers, and all the support staff, who are battling hourly to fully contain this tragic event.

The Pavilion Theatre is lending their support to these heroes’ by way of their families by giving them a break, in what is sure a time of great mental anguish.

The show features five characters who do not speak a word but perform antics and stunts that leave audiences laughing constantly throughout the show. It’s physical comedy at its best! “This is a great remedy for clearing one’s mind as tragedy strikes so close to home,” says Dick Taylor, Executive Director of the Pavilion Theatre.

“We watch the flames rage on day by day and just want to find a way to give back to the heroes trying to keep us all safe.”

The Pavilion Theatre offers two shows of “Aga-Boom” on Wednesday July 19, at 2pm and 7pm, and free seats are available at both shows for family members of our “Fire Heroes.”

“We sincerely hope we can bring some laughter and happiness into the lives of the families of the wonderful heroes who are fighting so hard to contain and stop these tragic fires,”said Taylor.

Families who wish to attend either performance on Wednesday of “Aga-Boom” should call this special phone number at the Pavilion Theatre ticket office (760) 778-1438 (before July 19th) and identify yourself as a “Hero family member.”

The Palm Springs Pavilion Theatre is located in downtown Palm Springs between Palm Canyon Drive and the mountain on Tahquitz Canyon Way.

-- The Desert Sun

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Spring Fire was on county land
July 18, 12:08 p.m.
Firefighters alerted the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, but the fire was not on tribal land.

-- The Desert Sun

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A photo from the Spring Fire in North Palm Springs
July 18, 12:03 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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About 90 firefighters helped fight the Spring Fire
July 18, 11:59 a.m.
About 90 personnel helped with the Spring Fire that began about 10:25 a.m. today.

-- The Desert Sun

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The Spring Fire is close to being contained
July 18, 11:55 a.m.
A few homes that firefighters were concerned about are now safe.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire now at 20 acres
July 18, 11:54 a.m.
Blake Goetz, the P.S. Fire Chief, was called in about 10:25 a.m. and Palm Springs Fire arrived about a minute later.

About 12 minutes later, they found flames about 100 feet up the mountain.

Two fixed-wing airplanes and two choppers have assisted,

"It looks the fire has been pretty contained at 20 acres," Goetz said.

The fire is under investigation.

-- The Desert Sun

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Evacuation are still voluntary
July 18, 11:46 a.m.
A command center has been set up at the Valero Gas Station on Fawn Ridge Drive at Highway 111.

The Riverside County Sheriff's department has informed The Desert Sun that evacuations warnings have been given to residents in the area, including The Western Village Mobile Ranch and RV Park, but are not mandatory at this point.

If the fire, on the ridge above the park, begins to move down the mountain, a mandatory evacuation will be issued.

-- The Desert Sun

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Forward progress of fire has been dropped
July 18, 11:37 a.m.
The fire cannot move anymore up the mountain as the helicopters and fire crews have been successful.

-- The Desert Sun

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Voluntary evacuations still exist for Western Village park
July 18, 11:32 a.m.
The Western Village Mobile Ranch and RV Park at 83 Bonanza Road.

The Cove at Palm Springs new homes are just beyond that along Highway 111.

-- The Desert Sun

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A fourth helicopter has arrived on scene
July 18, 11:27 a.m.
The choppers are now dropping retardant as well as water.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters are using water up toward the ridge
July 18, 11:27 a.m.
Mike Wills, captain with the Palm Springs Fire Department, said "Even these small grass fires can get 3 to 4 feet high."

One member of the strike team appears to be limping with a minor injury.

-- The Desert Sun

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Palm Springs Police Chief: Fire moving slow
July 18, 11:23 a.m.
The Angel Canyon Fire in North Palm Springs started in an abandoned house.

The Palm Springs Police Department and county are coordinating together to get people ready to evacuate if necessary. There is a voluntary evacuation for the Western Trails Village.

"It seems to be slow-going. They seem to be getting a handle on it," said Police Chief Gary Jeandron, who is at the scene.

A few homes are several football fields a way.

-- The Desert Sun

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Team leaving Sawtooth Fire spotted new fire
July 18, 11:19 a.m.
A strike team from the Department of Corrections on its way home from the wildfires saw the smoke from Highway 62 and called it in.

The 29-member CDF team then went directly to this fire to help out.

They had been on the Sawtooth Complex Fire since Tuesday.

-- The Desert Sun

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Winds appear calm right now in North Palm Springs
July 18, 11:14 a.m.
County and Palm Springs Fire officials are working hard with water-dropping helicopters to prevent the fire from climbing up more of the mountain just west of the Chino Cone.

-- The Desert Sun

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Three helicopters now dropping water in North Palm Springs
July 18, 11:12 a.m.
The choppers have been diverted from the still-burning Millard Fire north of Mission Creek.

-- The Desert Sun

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A helicopter has come over to the fire, but has not dropped anything
July 18, 11:05 a.m.
A helicopter has arrived at the North Palm Springs fire, but has not dropped retardant or fire at this point.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire is burning up the mountain
July 18, 11:03 a.m.
The fire has burned an outbuilding that was right at the foot of the mountain.

It's taking place in unincorporated county.

The fire appears headed in a easterly direction.

-- The Desert Sun

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The P.S. fire has burned 7 to 10 acres so far
July 18, 10:54 a.m.
The slow fire has scorched 7 to 10 acres so far.

-- The Desert Sun

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Choppers to be diverted from Millard Fire
July 18, 10:52 a.m.
Helicopters from the Millard Fire will divert to the Angel Canyon fire to help county and Palm Springs fire put that out before it expands.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire in North Palm Springs started as structure fire
July 18, 10:50 a.m.
The fire off Angel Canyon Trail began as a structure fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Voluntary evacuation given at Western Trails Village
July 18, 10:49 a.m.
The fire off Angel Canyon trail at Highway 111 is near structures, Palm Springs Fire has reported.

-- The Desert Sun

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New fire sighted in Palm Springs
July 18, 10:46 a.m.
A new fire off Angel Canyon Trail has Palm Springs Fire officials working hard.

Structures are in the vicinity.

-- The Desert Sun

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Shelter open during flood threat
July 18, 10:15 a.m.
While demand for an overnight shelter is decreasing, the Red Cross Shelter at Yucca Valley High School will remain open until the flood threat is over.

Three people stayed there last night.

If no one returns for a place to sleep tonight, it will probably transition to an evacuation center said Micki Hall, mass care administrator at the Red Cross.

This means the high school would remain open for anyone needing assistance, but would provide snacks, drinks and temporary assistance instead of meals and overnight sleeping arrangements.

While the gym can accommodate sleeping space for 120 people as a shelter, at least twice that number can be served as an evacuation center.

-- The Desert Sun

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Wilderness area could be closed
July 18, 09:24 a.m.

The San Gorgonio Wilderness area could face long-term closures because the large trees and logs in the higher elevation areas could smolder for a long time.

Air patrols will continue to watch for smoke from the area and infrared technology will be used to detect any hot spots until the area is safe.

-- The Desert Sun

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Free comedy for firefighters' families
July 18, 09:13 a.m.
The Pavilion Theatre in Palm Springs is offering free admission to the comedy "Aga-Boom" tonight for family members of firefighting personnel.

This new physical comedy act is playing tomorrow at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Families should call (760) 778-1438 for tickets.

-- The Desert Sun

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Crews hike into difficult terrain
July 18, 09:07 a.m.
Crews are focusing on the northern perimeter of the Heart Fire, but the inaccessibilty of the terrain is forcing much of the battle to be fought from the air.

They are using helicopters to transport crews, but some face a 2.5 hour hike up steep terrain to reach the fire.

Phelps said they are close to containing that area of the Heart Fire, which has burned 800 acres.

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear area safe
July 18, 08:58 a.m.
Crews have constructed contingency fire lines well outside the fire's perimeter in case it advances toward Big Bear and are working on direct lines that are closer to the actual blaze.

"We're trying to close the door between the Sawtooth fire and the communities in the Big Bear area," said Rich Phelps with the California interagency incident team on the Heart fire.

He said there is no immediate concern about the fire reaching Big Bear with the current weather conditions.

Phelps said they are trying to connect the dots between the north end around Onyx Summit and then are working south toward then Millard line.

The voluntary evacuation of the Rainbow area has been lifted, he said.

The road system around campgrounds in the Heart Bar and Coon Creek areas is closed.

-- The Desert Sun

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19 miles of fire line left
July 18, 08:37 a.m.
The southern portion of the Millard fire has successfully been contained and is "looking very good" Jennifer Chapman, public information officer at the Millard Complex said.

The high relative humidity - about 65 percent - has helped reduce fire movement and activity, but chance of thunderstorms could change fire behavior this afternoon and evening.

There are 19 miles of fire line left to be constructed, and the focus of today's fight is on the northern perimeter.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire Statistics
July 18, 08:31 a.m.
Containment:
Sawtooth - 85 percent contained; 61,700 acres
Millard - 49 percent contained; 24,210 acres

Sawtooth Resources:
-1700 personnel
-11 engines
-36 hand crews
-13 water tenders
-4 dozers
-4 air tankers
-13 helicopters


Millard Resources:
-867 personnel
-18 helicopters
-zero tankers assigned, but are available in reserve

-- The Desert Sun

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Safety always main objective
July 18, 07:51 a.m.
Though wildfires are always unpredictable, firefighters have certain objectives that have not changed since day one.

The number one priority is firefighter and public safety.

"If we don’t put out a single fire and everybody goes home, we’ve accomplished our objective," Jim Wilkins of the U.S. Forest Service said.

Firefighters also use what they call MIST – Minimal Impact Suppression Tactics. This means they try to minimize the consequences of their firefighting efforts on the wilderness.

They avoid and report archaeological sites and have been working with tribes to avoid historical and cultural areas.

Cost containment is also a constant priority.

"We are cognizant that these things are expensive," Wilkins said. "We do not want to be frivolous and we’re not."

The most recently reported numbers place the cost at $21 million.

-- The Desert Sun

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Containment lines held overnight
July 18, 07:28 a.m.
The Sawtooth fire did not move overnight so containment remains at 85 percent.

Firefighters there are focusing on the northwestern portion and are continuing to provide structure protection in the Rainbow and Heart Bar areas and the surrounding campgrounds.

About 140 residents are threatened in this area and are under voluntary evacuation.

One helicopter and one fixed-wing are fighting in that area.

Fourteen helicopters, four hand crews and 30 engines are working on the fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Officials cautiously optimistic
July 18, 07:03 a.m.
Firefighters on the Millard Fire are focusing on creating containment lines around the south, north and northwest areas.

They are flying hotshot crews into the higher end of the fire and continuing aerial drops.

Officials are watching the portion of the fire that still has the potential to threaten Big Bear.

"We're cautiously optimistic, underscoring cautiously," Jim Wilkins of the U.S. Forest Service said.

They are beginning to release some personnel and equipment so they can be available for other fires.

But as Wilkins said, "It's not over yet."

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire activity low overnight
July 18, 06:33 a.m.
While it is still too early to fully determine the fire's overnight activity, patrols reported that its behavior was low to moderate in the south-east area, which means it was relatively unactive.

If any rain fell in the area, it was not enough to be measured.

The Sawtooth fire is 85 percent contained and officials are still expecting full containment by 6 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Flash Flood Watch
July 18, 06:22 a.m.
There is a flash flood watch for burned areas because there is nothing left to stop the rain Forecaster Stan Wasowski said.

The chance of thunderstorms remains around 40-50 percent, but a potential storm will likely not form until the afternoon or evening.

Winds are calm this morning - about 5-8 m.p.h. - and should stay that way unless a storm forms.

-- The Desert Sun

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Flash flood watch in effect in Sawtooth, Millard burn areas
July 18, 06:09 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a 24-hour flash flood watch for the burn areas of the Sawtooth and Millard Fires, beginning at 2:30 p.m. today. Those areas include Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley, Pioneertown and the surrounding areas, in addition to burned areas approaching Big Bear Lake in the Millard Fire area.

Thunderstorms are possible this afternoon, according to the forecast.

Kakie Urch

-- The Desert Sun

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Obstacles in fighting the Millard Complex
July 17, 11:42 p.m.
According to a recent incident report, firefighters who are fighting the Millard Complex fire have the following obstacles to overcome:

1: Working with and around multiple helicopters.

2: Operating ground vehicles on narrow roads with blind corners and busy freeways.

3: Having to hike in rough and steep terrain.

4: Fatigue and dehydration in hot weather.

5: The possibility of thunderstorms and the hazards associated with them.

6: Unanchored portions of the fire.

7: Dangerous wildlife.

-- The Desert Sun

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Storms coming from other deserts
July 17, 11:29 p.m.
The thunderstorms that have hit the Coachella Valley and the high desert are all moving in from Arizona and Nevada, according to the National Weather Service.

"There have been thunderstorms firing all over the place," Forecaster Steve Vanderberg said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Heart fire information
July 17, 11:11 p.m.
The Heart fire, which is a part of the Sawtooth Complex fire, has burnt 800 acres, according to the most recent report released by firefighters.

More than 400 personnel is involved in fighting the fire, which has so far cost about $534,000.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters' objectives for fighting Millard fire Tuesday
July 17, 10:47 p.m.
Firefighters who will spend Tuesday fighting the Millard fire will have three objectives, according to the most recent status report on the blaze:

1: Keep the fire north of the San Gorgonio Wilderness and Reservation boundary.

2: Keep the fire south and west of the Pacific Crest Trail.

3: Keep the fire east of the Mill Creek jump off.

-- The Desert Sun

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Tonight's weather forecast
July 17, 10:15 p.m.
Firefighters fighting the Sawtooth blaze throughout the night can expect temperatures to be in the mid-eighties, according to AccuWeather.

Winds will be moving west at less than 10 mph and humidity will be about 40 percent throughout the night.

Temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees at about 9 a.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Cost to fight fires up to $21M, Property Loss more than $8.2M
July 17, 9:58 p.m.
COUNTING IT UP
Totals as of Monday of Sawtooth Complex and Millard fires:
Days burning:
10
Homes burned:
62
Helicopters:
27
Firefighters: 3,028
Acres burned: 85,000
Cost to fight:$21 million
Property Loss: $8.2 million
Hot Shot crews: 20
Tankers: 6
Bulldozers: 25
Containing the fires:
Millard: 49%
Sawtooth: 85%

-Kakie Urch

-- The Desert Sun

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Tuesday's weather stays the same; Wednesday's may change.
July 17, 8:59 p.m.
Firefighters may expect the same type of weather they experienced Monday, National Weather Service Forecaster Steve Vanderberg said. Temperatures are expected to remain in the low hundreds while thunderstorm and flash flood watches are still in affect.

“The thunderstorm chances stay with us through the rest of the week, so even in Yucca Valley and the high desert,” Vanderberg said.

But heavy winds moving at about 39 mph have prevented the thunderstorms from staying in one area for too long, thus preventing any heavy rain from forming.

“Winds aloft will stay fairly strong, so the thunderstorms move pretty quick,” Vanderberg said. “But they may let off by Wednesday. (But) as long as the winds keep going, they push the storms away.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Palm Desert leaders, Casuelas Cafe help feed firefighters
July 17, 8:13 p.m.
When Palm Desert decided to send food to fire fighters battling the Sawtooth and Millard blazes, the city went all out.

Connor Limont, a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, was in Whitewater Friday helping at the Whitewater Trout Farm, which was being used as a staging area for firefighters in the area.

When she found out the 50 or so fire fighters based at the farm were surviving on bag lunches, she started making phone calls.

The first went to Ray Ro driguez, the general manager at the Casuelas Cafe on Highway 111, who sent up enough chips, burritos and chicken flautas to feed the crew.

“They wanted something they could reach in and grab,” he said.

Another call to Mayor Jim Fer guson hooked Limont up with Sam’s Club, which donated about a dozen cases each of water and Gatorade, along with pretzels and energy bars.

When the food arrived, Limont said, “People came out of nowhere, all these fire engines.”
Limont decided to keep the food chain going Saturday, and this time Councilman Robert A. Spiegel stepped in with a call to Costco.

The city footed the bill for about 80 pizzas, and the store donated the Gatorade and water.

“I haven't shook so many hands,” Limont said, of the ex pressions of gratitude she re ceived from the hungry fire fight ers. “But it's about the community.

“Regardless of how fast we've grown in the past few years, when we need to we gather together,” she said.

K Kaufmann

-- The Desert Sun

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Updated Sawtooth Complex information
July 17, 7:54 p.m.
Acres burnt: More than 61,000
Current amount contained: 85 percent
Estimated time of containment: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Damage: 12 structures damaged, 50 structures destroyed, 171 outbuildings and other property destroyed.
Injuries: 17 injuries. Their extent is unspecified.
Amount spent fighting fire: $13.8 million.

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard fire containment three to five days away
July 17, 7:13 p.m.
The Millard fire, which up to this point has destroyed more than 24,000 acres, could be contained within three to five days, according to fire officials.

As of 7 p.m. Monday, the fire is 49 percent contained.

Almost $7.3 million has been spent on the fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters estimate time of containment of Sawtooth fire
July 17, 6:38 p.m.
If all goes well, firefighters may have the Sawtooth Complex fire contained by 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to California Department of Forestry Spokesman Glenn Barley.

"We’re at a point where things are winding down and we'll be able to send people home," he said. "Things are looking better."

Most recent information shows the fire has burnt more than 61,000 acres.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires cause about $9 million in property damage
July 17, 5:51 p.m.
Property damage caused by the Sawtooth and Millard fires is estimated at about $9 million, said San Bernardino County Supervisor Dennis Hansberger.

Overall, the total value of the structures in that area is $900 million.

-- The Desert Sun

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Victims of the Sawtooth fire can get assistance from the Red Cross
July 17, 5:31 p.m.
The Morongo Basin Chapter of the American Red Cross has announced an outreach program to assist people who suffered losses as a result of the Sawtooth Complex Fire.

People with disaster-related needs should call (760) 774-0504 or (760) 774-0475 to make an appointment to meet with a Red Cross caseworker in their neighborhood or other convenient location.

John Benefield, volunteer disaster director of the Morongo Basin Red Cross Chapter, said the Red Cross can assist people in meeting a number of types of disaster-related needs. Examples, based upon qualifications, may include assistance in housing, clothing, groceries, bedding, critical medications and other emergency needs.

Since the outbreak of the Sawtooth Complex Fire, local American Red Cross volunteers have been working to provide relief for affected families and individuals. The Red Cross opened a shelter at the Yucca Valley High School which has served as emergency housing for approximately 200 people. The shelter will remain open as long as needed.

The Red Cross has also served approximately 6,000 meals and snacks to fire-affected families and disaster workers. In the coming days and weeks of recovery, the American Red Cross will continue to provide assistance to the people affected by the fires as they begin the process of rebuilding their lives. All American Red Cross disaster relief is free, a gift from the American people.

The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 125 years. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope.

Through more than 800 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world.

Almost 4 million people give blood—the gift of life—through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected.

As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people.

An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

-- The Desert Sun

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Thank you dessert for fire crews tomorrow night
July 17, 5:28 p.m.
Say thank you to a firefighter ...

There will be a "SWEET SUCCESS DESSERT BUFFET!"
(for the fire crews and volunteers.)

The event will be held tomorrow from 7p.m. to 10 p.m. at the command post at the Yucca Valley High School.

THIS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP:

ORGANIZE YOUR CHURCH GROUP, FAMILY, FRIENDS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, CO-WORKERS, ETC. TO MAKE NON-PERISHABLE, HOME-BAKED CAKES, COOKIES, BROWNIES, PIES, ETC.
AND HAVE A FEW REPRESENTATIVES BRING THEM TO THE HIGH SCHOOL BETWEEN 5-6 PM TUESDAY
OR INDIVIDUAL BAKED GOODS CAN BE DROPPED OFF AT THE YUCCA VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER TUESDAY BETWEEN 10AM AND 5PM.
AND / OR

MAKE POSTERS SAYING THANK YOU FROM YOUR GROUP OR ORGANIZATION THAT WILL BE PUT UP IN THE DESSERT BUFFET AREA
VOLUNTEER TO HELP ON SITE TUESDAY NIGHT
SPREAD THE WORD
PLEASE USE DISPOSABLE CONTAINERS THAT CAN BE THROWN AWAY WHEN EMPTY.


FOR MORE INFO. CONTACT LINDA SHRADER 413-2116, OR LESLIE AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER 369-7211

-- The Desert Sun

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Benefit being held for Sawtooth victims this Saturday
July 17, 4:55 p.m.
There will be a breakfast benefit for the victims of the Sawtooth fire.

It will be held on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at The Helen Gray Center, behind the Hi-Desert Medical Center located at
6601 White Feather Road in Joshua Tree.

Tickets: $6

Checks payable to Morongo Basin United Way
P.O. Box 986, Yucca Valley, CA 92286-0986
57500 29 Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA (In the Union Bank Building)

All dollars raised will be used to assist those families displaced as a result of the Sawtooth Fire. A fund distribution committee has been set up to distribute funds raised in support of these fire victims. There is no administration cost associated with the funds raised.

Sponsored by the Morongo Basin United Way
In partnership with:

The Salvation Army
29 Palms Youth Club
Joshua Tree Kids Club
Morongo Basin Unity Home
Friends of the Yucca Valley Library
Morongo Basin Coalition for Adult Literacy

For more information call the Morongo Basin United Way at 760-228-2716

-- The Desert Sun

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About 30 lightning strikes struck Morongo Valley area early today
July 17, 4:38 p.m.
There were about 30 lightning strikes in the Morongo Valley area late Sunday/early today, according to the National Weather Service.

The number of strikes is "cloud to ground" strikes.

About 80 were reported in the Coachella Valley from 11 p.m. Sunday to 1 a.m. today.

-- The Desert Sun

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DC-10 won't be used today
July 17, 4:13 p.m.
A modified DC-10 that made its inaugural run here yesterday as an air tanker used to drop 12,000 gallons of fire retardant will not be used today, officials said this afternoon.

Fire officials believe there is enough humidity in the air, officials said.

Yesterday's drop placed retardant between the Sawtooth blaze and the Big Bear area.

Ruben Grijalda, state Fire Marshal and director of CDF, said the supertanker left a line of retardant on the Sawtooth blaze 24 feet wide and 1.3 miles long.

"It helped cut a line that was very inaccessible to hand crews," he said.

The DC-10 cost $26,000 per hour to operate and $1 per gallon of retardant, or about $24,000 for two passes. That would be about $76,000.

The DC-10 may not always make sense when it comes to cost, time or effectiveness, he said.

"It's another tool in the toolbox that can be used when deemed effective," he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Little rain today, but flash floods still possible
July 17, 3:44 p.m.
Little rain has fallen in the fire areas today, but the chance for storms – and flooding – still exists.

Flash flooding is possible on Wednesday and Thursday, when the winds are predicted to let up, said National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Vanderburg.

“They’re moving too quick,” he said of the storms. “They’re not sitting in one spot, dropping a lot of rain.”

About a quarter of an inch of rain fell this morning in Burns Canyon, one of the many areas hit by the Sawtooth Complex fire. As of 3:40 p.m., no measurable rain had fallen in Yucca Valley.

Forecasts call for a chance of storms this week, especially in the afternoons.

-- The Desert Sun

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Cathedral City power outage postponed as a result of wildfires
July 17, 1:58 p.m.
The need to deploy Southern California Edison electrical crews to fire ravaged areas from Yucca Valley toward Big Bear Valley Monday to fix 66 lost poles and lines has postponed a planned power outage in Cathedral City beginning midnight Monday.

That word came around noon today.

“It’s not going to occur as planned,’’ said Lin Juniper, a local public affairs spokeswoman for Edison. “We are sending so many of our crews to help out in the fire areas. We’ve had several poles and lines that have been affected by the fires, and multiple crews working the fire area right now.”

Southern California Edison had planned to switch off power from midnight Monday through 6 a.m. Tuesday to roughly 400 residences in an area bounded by Date Palm and Da Vall drives; Converse Road and Gerald Ford Drive. The residential area included Date Palm Country Club.

Edison officials said the planned outage was needed to replace a piece of equipment before it failed. Those preventive steps are needed to enhance system reliability, Juniper said, and prevent an emergency situation from occurring or an outage of a much longer duration.

The planned outage is now expected to occur two to three weeks from today, Juniper said.

No firm date has been set.

Gil Alexander, an Edison spokesman, said the Sawtooth and Millard complex fires have not affected high-voltage transmissions, but did affect the lower voltage distribution systems. “We’ve been able to restore lost service to customers by switching service around through a grid system,’’ he said.

The number of affected customers, primarily in the Yucca and Morongo valley areas was not known at this hour.

-- The Desert Sun

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Lightning photos from Brian Herman of Rancho Mirage
July 17, 1:36 p.m.
Here are some photos from Brian Herman of Rancho Mirage of the lightning from the early-morning thunderstorm.

-- The Desert Sun

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No services set yet for Pioneertown resident
July 17, 1:30 p.m.
The funeral arrangements for Jerry Guthrie, who died in the Sawtooth fire, won’t be finalized for a couple days, according to Cindy Badgett, a funeral counselor with Wiefels and Son Funeral Directors in Yucca Valley.

The family has contacted Wiefels to organize the funeral. It is still not known if the service will be open to the public.

Search-and-rescue teams found Guthrie, 57, Saturday less than a mile away from his Pioneertown Road home. He had last been heard from Tuesday afternoon during the massive evacuation of the Pioneertown area.

Though the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed the body is Guthrie, the San Bernardino County coroner’s Web site says officials are going to confirm it also via dental records.

“He was burned beyond recognition,” the Web site says.

-- The Desert Sun

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DC-10 successful so far, may be used today
July 17, 1:03 p.m.
Officials continue to evaluate Sunday's first-ever use of the DC-10 supertanker aircraft to help fight the Sawtooth blaze.

But it appears to have gone "very, very well," said Henry Renteria, director of the state Office of Emergency Services.

Ruben Grijalda, state Fire Marshal and director of CDF, said the supertanker left a line of retardant on the Sawtooth blaze 24 feet wide and 1.3 miles long.

"It's pretty remarkable," he said. "It was as effective as our other tanker aircraft, only over a larger area."

The DC-10, based out of Victorville, had a 20-minute time to refill and return to the blaze, where it made a total of two passes over the blaze, he said.

He was not sure it would be used again today.

The DC-10 placed retardant between the Sawtooth and Big Bear.

"It helped cut a line that was very inaccessible to hand crews," he said.

The DC-10 cost $26,000 per hour to operate and $1 per gallon of retardant, or about $24,000 for two passes. That would be about $76,000.

The DC-10 may not always make sense when it comes to cost, time or effectiveness, he said.

"It's another tool in the toolbox that can be used when deemed effective," he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Governor's 'back' in Yucca Valley; firefighter enjoys his visit
July 17, 12:47 p.m.
After spending a week battling the Sawtooth blaze, firefighter Brion Hattie of Zuni, N.M., got an unexpected surprise Monday, a handshake and conversation with Gov. Schwarzenegger.

"It's very exciting," Hattie said afterward. "I've never met anyone like this before -- an actor and a governor."

Hattie, who said his favorite Schwarzenegger movie is "Commando," asked the governor to say something into his cell phone, so he record it.

"He said, 'I'll be back,'" Hattie said.

Hattie said the governor thanked him for helping out here in California.

"He said he appreciates our help," he said. "It was good to hear that."

-- The Desert Sun

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The governor has left Yucca Valley High School
July 17, 12:42 p.m.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the fire-ravaged area again and stopped by Yucca Valley High School at little after noon today.

He met with firefighters and fielded questions from the media. He praised fire crews for "the extraordinary job they're doing" and "the tremendous coordination between agencies."

Though noting the tragedy of 50-plus destroyed homes, the governor cited the hundreds of homes that were protected.

"You can see the fire coming right up to the homes, but the homes were protected," Schwarzenegger said of his aerial tour today. "That's extraordinary, extraordinary work."

Schwarzenegger said the purposed of his trip was "to talk to the people and get their lives back in order as quickly as possible."

-- The Desert Sun

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Here's a transcript from the governor's visit Saturday to Yucca Valley High School
July 17, 11:35 a.m.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Good morning, everybody. My wife and I, we are very happy to be here today, and we wanted to see firsthand of how well we are doing here with fighting the fires. And we want to thank everyone from the federal to the state and local level and all the various different fire departments working together to fight this fire.

As you know, this is a very dangerous situation. The weather conditions are such, which is wind and a lot of heat, that is a perfect condition for wildfires. So of course we have 4,000 firefighters here that are working day and night, around the clock, and doing an incredible job. And I want to just say congratulations and thank you to all of our various different fire departments, because they have also done a great job not only with the fire fighting but also with preventive measures, because we learned a lot during the 2004 fires. So a lot of great work was done to really protect a lot of the structures, a lot of the homes and buildings and so on, clearing out the brush and all the trees and so on around those areas.

And so I think that they are having 35 percent of the fire under control now, it's contained, but the work continues. So now, of course, the problem is that the two fires have joined, and so the Sawtooth fire now is a much larger fire, so we hope that within the next few days they make great progress.

We also want to say thank you to everyone for the great work they're doing with the people that are now without a home, that are here in our shelters. I think every aspect of it has been taken care of. And of course the coordination of all of this is extraordinary.

We are very proud of our firefighters, they are true heroes. Anytime anyone is risking their life to save others is a hero to me, and so I want to thank them all.

So if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS

Q: (IA)

GOVERNOR: It's the first time right here, but not in San Bernardino County. I've been here many times.

Q. (IA)

GOVERNOR: Yeah, we flew over the areas, and it is a huge fire. It's really extraordinary of how quickly it has spread out, and that's why I say it's very dangerous, and they have to contain it as quickly as possible. But like I said, the weather conditions are not helping.

So we saw a tremendous amount of smoke, fire, and we saw also -- we were close enough to see also the crews down there working very hard. And like I said, it's a shift. It's like, you know, some people work 24 hours straight without any break, and some shifts work 12 hours at a time. But it is really extraordinary, with all that gear on, and with the tremendous heat, above 100 degrees, to work under those conditions. So it's very heroic, and it's really great work that they're doing.

Q. (IA)

GOVERNOR: I didn't hear what you said.

Q. (IA)

GOVERNOR: I can't hear it.

SHRIVER: She said, "What is the State doing that's going to help the people who have been evacuated?"

GOVERNOR: Oh, okay. Well, everyone, the federal government, the state and the counties, are all working together. We have a one-stop shop here set up so you don't have to go to all the different departments, and we're working in various different -- all the agencies are represented here to make sure that we can help people no matter what help that they need. And I think that the key thing for us is to respond very quickly to the people's needs, and that is why we have set up that shop.

Do you want to say a few words, Maria?

SHRIVER: No.

GOVERNOR: My wife wants to say a few words, just quickly. Go ahead, Maria.

SHRIVER: Oh, my gosh. Well, I think that has been interesting in talking to everybody involved, with the State, the federal government and the local, is how unified this team is. And you see the prison camps here, the role that all the inmates play, and what a critical component that is to the firefighting efforts. We met many inmates, men and women. We have the Red Cross here, all volunteers, search volunteers, people who are cognizant of what they need when they live in a disaster prone state.

So I think that the really kind of message to me from visiting here once again is how well we all do when we work together. Volunteers, search volunteers, Conservation Corps, firefighters, inmates, local private enterprise that come in here, feed 4,000 people for breakfast, 4,000 people for dinner. All the different counties working together, and the spirit in the tents of people who've been working 24 hours under, as Arnold was saying, 115 degree weather. Their appreciation for new vehicles that aren't quite so hot, their appreciation to be here, their appreciation for the people who feed them, their recognition of the work that the inmates do, it's really very uplifting.

We often talk about what's wrong, what doesn't work, and I think this is a very good example of what's working on every level. So it's very inspiring, actually.

GOVERNOR: I just want to take the opportunity to say thank you very much to our CDF Director, Ruben Grijalva for doing such an extraordinary job and always being there right in the middle of the action and coordinating all of this. He has done a really great job. And also I want to thank General Wade, who is ready with the National Guard at any time we need the National Guard, because we have a lot of the National Guard standing by and ready for action, to come down here and help. And we also want to thank, of course, OES Director Henry Renteria, right here, who is right here, who is also ready.

So I think the coordination of all those departments is extremely important, and that's why they're down here, to work with everyone, to make sure that we can contain this fire and put it out as quickly as possible.

Q: One last question?

GOVERNOR: Okay.

Q: How does this compare to other natural disasters that you've seen?

GOVERNOR: Well, I've seen only a few since I've been in office, but I can tell you that every single time when I see something like that and I go in there and meet the people, I'm always extremely impressed of how well the California team works. They are battle tested, our firefighters, they are tough, they're the best trained and best equipped and everything in the nation. They are second to none, and so that's what I'm really proud of, and I want to say thank you to all of them for working so well together.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Have a good day.

-- The Desert Sun

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Weather forecast for the San Bernardinos
July 17, 11:35 a.m.
From the National Weather Service for the San Bernardino Mountains:

Today: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. Southwest wind 10 mph. High 86.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. West wind 5 mph. Low 62.

Tuesday: Chance of thunderstorms. South wind 12 mph. High 86.

Tuesday Night: Chance of thunderstorms. South wind 7 mph. Low 62.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. Southwest wind 12 mph. High 88.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. Low 61.

-- The Desert Sun

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Weather forecasts for the next few days
July 17, 11:23 a.m.
Forecasts



High Desert (Yucca Valley, etc.)



Today: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of thunderstorms. Southeast wind 10 mph. High 110.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. South wind 7 mph. Low 78.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. Southeast wind 8 mph. High 109.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. West wind 7 mph. Low 80.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. South wind 12 mph. High 106.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. Low 85.

-- The Desert Sun

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Send The Desert Sun your photos of the wildfires, overnight lightning storms, and the aftermath
July 17, 11:20 a.m.
To our readers:

The Desert Sun has numerous staffers – reporters and photographers – continuing to cover the containment of the Sawtooth and Millard fires, as well as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's tour of the damage today.

We're gathering more information about the fires and snapping photos.

But we'd also like to include photos from readers in our coverage.

If you took pictures of last night's lightning storms, we'd like to see your digital images.

We have posted more than 400 photos on our Web site, with more than 100 of them coming from readers like you.

Please, show us your photo handiwork by visiting thedesertsun.com/uploads and then return to our Web site to see your photos on our continuously updated coverage.

Make sure you tell friends and relatives about your photos and about our coverage.

Thank you for reading thedesertsun.com

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard rages on
July 17, 11:01 a.m.
According to a Fire Behavior Forecast for the Millard Complex Fire, it is burning in a mountainous portion of the San Gorgonio Wilderness above 6,000 feet.

The fire is among "old decadent stands of intermixed timber such as, Douglas Firs, Sugar and Jeffrey Pines," the report states.

In addition, Millard's west flank is threatening Snow Peak.

-- The Desert Sun

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The latest map from ESRI
July 17, 10:25 a.m.
Here's the latest map from Redlands-based ESRI. The GIS and mapping company has been assisting firefighters throughout the Millard and Sawtooth fires.

http://www.esri.com/disaster_response/journalistmaps.html

-- The Desert Sun

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Wind should be OK today
July 17, 10:20 a.m.
While temperatures are expected to remain in the 100s today, National Weather Service Forecaster Stan Wasowski said other expected conditions should at least not make things tougher for firefighters.

“There should be no wind to speak of,” Wasowski said of the outlook for the rest of Monday in the area where firefighters are still battling the main blazes.

The forecast for this afternoon and tonight calls for humidity levels in the 35 to 45 percent range. The chance of rain by this afternoon is 30 percent, increasing to 40 percent tonight and Tuesday.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters' objectives of the day
July 17, 10:15 a.m.
Firefighters have three control objectives today:
-- Keep fire north of the San Gorgonio Wilderness and Reservation Boundary.
-- Keep fire south and west of the Pacific Crest Trail.
-- Keep fire east of Mill Creek jump off.

-- The Desert Sun

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Governor appears set to leave P.S. airport about 10 a.m.
July 17, 09:49 a.m.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to take a helicopter from Palm Springs International Airport about 10 a.m. today to fly over the burned areas in the Morongo Valley area, before landing to walk through Pioneertown.

-- The Desert Sun

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Heart Fire about 300 acres
July 17, 09:44 a.m.
The Heart Fire, that portion of the fire that contains the San Bernardino National Forest, is now about 300 acres.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters warn crews about weather concerns today
July 17, 09:27 a.m.
In addition to fire, today's main concern is lightning and flashfloods, said Karen Guilleman, spokeswoman for CDF.

Crews have been told to be careful in peak areas, where they are subject to lightning, and valley areas, where flashfloods are possible.

“They have to worry about a lot of issues. It makes it very difficult.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Portion of Sawtooth fire 'still extremely important'
July 17, 09:26 a.m.
Active fire is contained to a 7-mile line in the northwestern section of the Sawtooth Fire, said Karen Guilleman, spokesoman for CDF.

“It’s still extremely important," she said. “We must put a line in there and tie that off.”

Much of the Sawtooth operation has become a mop-up.

A minor mudslide occurred off Highway 247, but not in Pioneertown.

Some areas of Sawtooth felt the rain.

“I know our crews got soaked last night,” she said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Latest Sawtooth stats in
July 17, 08:42 a.m.
Sawtooth Fire
61,700 acres
70 percent contained
2,296 personnel
$11.7 million cost
4 fixed-wing (not sure on DC-10)
15 helicopters
9 bulldozers
80 fire crews

They will begin sending firefighters home today, said Karen Guilleman, spokeswoman for CDF.

"We’ll bump that down a great deal today. We’re going to try to get folks back to their units."

-- The Desert Sun

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Governor to make return visit today
July 17, 07:44 a.m.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will return to the Morongo Valley area today for both an aerial and ground tour of the burned areas.

The governor will mostly tour Pioneertown on his ground tour. That town lost nearly 60 homes and has a population of about 340.

-- The Desert Sun

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40 percent chance of measurable rain today, tonight
July 17, 07:37 a.m.
The National Weather Service says there's a 40 percent chance of measurable rain from the thunderstorms that roll in today and tonight.

Highs will still near triple-digit temperatures as firefighters continue battling the Millard and Sawtooth fires.

Lows tonight will be in the lower to mid-80s.

-- The Desert Sun

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U.S. Forest Service: Winds a concern today
July 17, 07:22 a.m.
The big concern is thunderstorms, said U.S. Forest Service John Miller. The potential exists for erratic winds and downdrafts that can bring more air to the fire.

“You can have fire spreading in all directions,” Miller said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Late-night rain helps slightly in fighting Millard fire
July 17, 07:13 a.m.
The thunderstorms did not affect most of the fire. Major sections of the fire got no rain, said Millard Complex Fire Deputy Operations Chief Acree Shreve.

“The one section of the fire that’s been giving us some problems did get some rain,” he said, talking about the area above the Whitewater Trout Co. fish hatchery.

Firefighters continue to have a staged crew there just in case.

The steep topography of the San Gorgonio Wilderness has been preventing the Millard Complex Fire from spreading much, Shreve said, but that same topography could also help the fire continue to survive.

“When you have slopes that steep, all it takes is one rolling, burning log or pinecone to move the fire into a while new fuel bed.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Statistics from the Millard Fire
July 17, 07:12 a.m.
The latest stats from the Millard Complex Fire

22,105 acres scorched
26 percent contained
983 personnel
$5.34 million to fight

-- The Desert Sun

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Many residents given sandbags to protect from flooding
July 17, 06:33 a.m.
San Bernardino County officials have given sandbags to residents in the burned areas of Morongo Valley and Pioneertown, a small town of about 340 residents that lost nearly 60 homes, to help them stave off any thunderstorm downpours that may occur.

A 60 percent chance of thunderstorms exists throughout the day.

-- The Desert Sun

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Southerly winds blowing lightly in the high desert
July 17, 06:22 a.m.
Light winds and high humidity are helping firefighters fight the Sawtooth and Millard fires this morning, though thunderstorms are still very possible today and tonight. A 60 percent chance exists.

The thunderstorms could drench the burned areas with a lot of rain in a very short period.

San Bernardino County officials walked door to door Sunday to warn residents of Pioneertown and Morongo Valley to beware flashflooding or mudslides in the scorched hills above them.

The thunderstorms' rain could aid firefighters in their efforts, but the possible lightning and strong winds could counteract any progress.
The Desert Sun

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard Fire about 20 percent contained
July 17, 05:59 a.m.
Firefighters have the Millard Complex Fire at least 20 percent contained now.

-- The Desert Sun

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Additional humidity, more rain expected to help today
July 17, 05:40 a.m.
More thunderstorms are expected today and should aid firefighters in containing the Sawtooth and Millard complex fires. Humidity is high and rain is likely.

The bad news is that can bring flashflooding to the burned areas, wind to fan the flames, as well as lightning strikes that can ignite more fires.

The Sawtooth is about 70 contained while the Millard is at least 10 percent surrounded. The fires combined have scorched more thnan 80,000 acres.

-- The Desert Sun

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Images from the frontlines
July 16, 9:13 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires scorch nearly 82,000 acres or 128 miles
July 16, 8:20 p.m.
Firefighters came closer to surrounding California's largest working wildfire today, upping the containment area at the Sawtooth fire to 70 percent.

Most of the uncontrolled portion of the fire is along the western flank in the San Bernardino National Forest. The western front is in such rugged country that most of the work there is by hand crews who were flown in or from bombardment by aircraft.

The increased containment made it possible to divert more resources to the uncontrolled portion of the fire and it also allowed authorities to reduce the amount of firefighters working the Sawtooth blaze by about 500.

Four firefighters were injured Sunday, but none seriously. High heat was to blame for most of the injuries said Jan Lemons, a Joshua Tree National Park Ranger working at the incident command post in Yucca Valley.

In addition to reducing the number of firefighters, officials also reduced the number of acres burned by Sawtooth from 62,000 to 61,700. But the move was simply an accounting decision. They decided to include the difference of 300 acres with the Heart fire, another fire in the area.

Officials also updated the total cost of fighting the Sawtooth fire to $11.6 million.

A small community of homes near Onyx Summit is still under a voluntary evacuation. Some homes in Burns Canyon are also still evacuated, Lemons said. Firefighters are also trying to keep the fire from reaching a peak used for radio communication.

"That is where all of the radio repeaters are for everybody so that is pretty critical," Lemons said.

At the Millard fire command post officials were optimistic.

Gabe Garcia, Front Country District Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, said this evening he’s “feeling a lot better” about the Millard blaze.

“It really hasn’t progressed much,” he said. “The west side (of the fire) is cooling off, and it’s cooling off with very little work.”

Steep terrain with sparse plant growth helped limit the spread of the fire, officials said. It made its way to a ridge line in the Mission Creek area, but that actually made it easier for crews to fight, fire analyst Drew Smith said.

The possibility of thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and an unstable atmosphere Monday could lead to a more difficult day for firefighters.

“It’s going to be a critical day (Monday), just because of some of the weather dynamics we will have,” Smith said.

Here are the latest updated statistics for that fire:

Acres: 20,214
Containment: 20 percent
Personnel: 962
Cost to date: $5.271 million

-- The Desert Sun

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Indio breaks heat record
July 16, 6:59 p.m.
Indio broke its all-time high record temperature Saturday when it registered 122 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, San Diego office.


The previous record high was 117 degrees, set in 1911.


Today’s high was a close 115 degrees, and Monday, it’s expected to peak at 108 degrees, with a chance of thunderstorms.

-- The Desert Sun

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First the fire, now a flash flood warning
July 16, 6:40 p.m.
Residents in the aftermath of California’s largest working fire could soon be staring down other natural disasters — flash floods and mudslides.

Fires that scorched more than 70,000 acres in the Mojave desert and San Bernardino National Forest also laid bare steep mountainsides that could send debris surging downhill with just a quarter inch of rain.

On Sunday, San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and public works officials went door-to-door to about 5,000 homes from Landers to Morongo Valley to warn people who could be in harm’s way.

With rain forecast by Tuesday, residents still stunned by the fire damage are bracing for the possibility of another calamity.

“I went through 9-11 back in New York,” said Christine Rodriguez, 50. “This is kind of that same feeling. That real unsettled kind of shock.”

Rodriguez moved to Pioneertown, the community that bore the brunt of the damage from the Sawtooth fire, from Queens in 2002.

A plume of clouds fueled by near-record heat, high humidity and the blazes still burning in the San Bernardino mountains was visible on the horizon from Yucca Valley.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rob Balfour said the clouds could produce enough rain to trigger mudslides.

He said a thunderstorm would need to produce about a quarter inch of rain in 15 minutes to result in flash floods or mudslides.

“Tuesday or Wednesday it is looking likely,” Balfour said.

On Christmas Day in 2003 — two months after wildfires ripped through Waterman Canyon and Devore near San Bernardino — nine children and seven adults were killed in mudslides.

Later there was criticism officials didn’t do enough to warn people about the danger of mudslides in burned areas.

The mountain and desert landscapes in the region are already subject to flash flooding even without fire damage.

But once vegetation is burned away, the earth becomes even more unstable when it is exposed to heavy rain.

And canyons clogged with debris can also send water rushing into areas it typically doesn’t go said Vana Olson, assistant director of public works for San Bernardino County.

Debris flows or floods can start high in the mountains, leaving people downstream -- where it may not even be raining -- in their path with little or no warning.

“That is one of the things that is a little disturbing,” Olson said. “These folks may be totally dry and sunny.”

Officials suggest people who live in areas prone to flash flooding fortify their property with sand bags.

They also warn people to stay out of canyons and washes when rain is falling upstream.

“A person in a channel with a lot of debris does not have a chance,” Olson said. “People do not survive that.”

-- The Desert Sun

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New maps of massive fire charring Southern California
July 16, 6:35 p.m.
ESRI, a company specializing in geographical information services (GIS) software, has updated information about the locations of the Sawtooth and Millard fires that are burning in San Bernardino County, about 30 miles northwest of Palm Springs.

The company is based in Redlands, Calif., about midway between Palm Springs and Los Angeles. The maps offer a three-dimensional, aerial view of the geography, the cities and the fires’ boundaries.

ESRI is working with firefighting crews to help track the fire’s path.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fighting a wildfire amid archaeological treasures
July 16, 5:34 p.m.
Among the goals of firefighters battling the Millard blaze is avoiding and reporting archaeological sites.

The fire north of Cabazon includes tribal lands of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.
Officials avoid publicizing the sites to help preserve their integrity.

“It could be anything from tribal burial sites, ancient tribal villages with artifacts there, dinosaur bones — anything,” said Dee Dechert, U.S. Department of Forestry spokeswoman.

Agencies such as the Forest Service, the tribe, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs or others could alert firefighters to sensitive areas. Or, they could discover them as they battle the blaze, Dechert said.

“The agency will say, ‘Be careful of this zone over here, no bulldozers,’” she said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard: Latest statistics
July 16, 5:31 p.m.
Millard Complex Fire statistics:
15,574 acres.
10 percent contained.
nearly 900 personnel.
22 helicopters.
6 airplane.
Cost to fight the blaze is more than $4 million.
No structures threatened.
No mandatory evacuations.
No injuries.

The Millard Complex fire is spreading in a north to northeast direction.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman Thom Wadley said the fight is going well today and that firefighters are happy with how things are going today as opposed to yesterday, when large plumes of released energy were creating their own weather and wind, hampering fire suppression and increasing danger.

“Today they’re not seeing that significant of a plume being developed as of yet,” Wadley said.
“That’s not to say that can’t happen yet today.”

Firefighting crews are stationed at the Big Bear Mountain Ski Resort in Big Bear should the fire turn in that direction.

However, Wadley said, it looks as if the fire will stop at a ridge short of the resort should it make it that far.

-- The Desert Sun

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DC-10 super-tanker delivered 'impressive' results
July 16, 4:44 p.m.
California forestry officials, battling the San Bernardino fires northwest of Palm Springs, were “very pleased with the result” this afternoon of the giant DC-10 super-tanker that twice today dumped retardant on California’s largest working wildfire.

The airplane, a modified commuter commercial jet with a 12,000-gallon tank attached to its underbelly, was used on the Sawtooth Complex Fire northwest of Yucca Valley this afternoon.

Preliminary reviews from the skies by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Aviation Management left officials “very pleased with the result,” spokesman Capt. Jesse Estrada told The Desert Sun around 4:30 p.m.

The tanker left “very impressive coverage – a very long line of retardant” – in the area in which it dropped, Estrada said.

It returned to its base in Victorville to reload and make a second drop, he said. It made two drops today.

Firefighters on the ground are making their way to the drop zone this afternoon to further evaluate the DC-10’s effectiveness.

The DC-10 holds about 10 times more water or fire retardant than the standard S-2T fixed-wing tanker craft used by state forestry officials.

The aviation personnel will discuss whether to continue using the DC-10 with incident commanders on both the Sawtooth and Millard fires.

“Everybody went into this with an open mind,” Estrada said. “And we are pretty pleased with what appears to be the result.”

A four-member flight crew aboard Tanker 910 is working in coordination with CDF support personnel to drop the retardant.

Three separate external tanks with a capacity of 12,000 U.S. gallons of retardant were utilized during the two separate flights by Tanker 910.

The operational objective is for the aircraft to build a buffer of retardant between the Sawtooth Fire and the community of Big Bear while allowing ground crews to get in position to build a containment line.

The DC-10 is a 31-year-old former passenger jet that was jointly developed over the past four years by Omni Air International of Tulsa, Okla., and Cargo Conversions LLC, a freighter conversion company based in San Carlos, California.

-- The Desert Sun

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First-time use of modified DC-10 in wildfire fight confirmed
July 16, 4:24 p.m.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is confirming that is used a modified DC-10 to drop 12,000 gallons of fire retardant on the Sawtooth fire.

A four-member flight crew aboard Tanker 910 is working in coordination with CDF support personnel to drop the retardant.

The aircraft was deployed at the request of CDF Incident Command Team 8, which has been coordinating firefighting efforts on the blaze, according to a release.

“This is the first time in history a DC-10 had been utilized in a firefighting capacity,” said Director Ruben Grijalva of CDF.

“We are always examining firefighting tools that can help save lives and property. Once our staff certified the aircraft we made it available to the Incident Command Team.”

Here’s what the rest of the release stated:

Incident Commander Rick Henson made a tactical decision that the Sawtooth Fire would be an appropriate and conducive venue to test the aircraft due to the terrain, weather and fire conditions.

“I was fortunate enough to watch this first live fire drop from a nearby helicopter and was very impressed with how much retardant was dropped,” said Henson.

“I immediately directed my staff to evaluate the retardant’s coverage on the ground. Preliminary reports indicate the DC-10 retardant met the objective of slowing the fire’s spread.”

Three separate external tanks with a capacity of 12,000 U.S. gallons of retardant were utilized during the two separate flights by Tanker 910. The operational objective is for the aircraft to build a buffer of retardant between the Sawtooth Fire and the community of Big Bear while allowing ground crews to get in position to build a containment line.

Tanker 910 was certified or “carded” today by the CDF Aviation Management Unit after the aircraft was tested repeatedly with numerous drops in the desert as well as runs on higher elevations.

Tanker 910 is certified by the FAA and meets the same maintenance standards as passenger-carrying planes of the identical size.

The DC-10 is a 31-year-old former passenger jet that was jointly developed over the past four years by Omni Air International of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Cargo Conversions LLC, a freighter conversion company based in San Carlos, California.

A demonstration of Tanker 910 was conducted in late March for state fire officials and the media at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, formerly the George Air Force Base, located in the Mojave Desert.

Tanker 910 was leased today by CDF at a cost of $52,000.

Lightning started the Sawtooth Fire on July 9 and it has since consumed 62,000 acres and destroyed 58 residences and 171 outbuildings in San Bernardino County. The fire has caused one fatality and 12 minor injuries.

Property loss is estimated at $8,702,000.

Currently, in addition to the DC-10, there are 85 fire crews; 206 engines; 8 airtankers; 15 helicopters and 35 bulldozers battling the blaze, with 60 percent containment.

The Sawtooth Fire is being managed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Incident Command Team 8 in conjunction with CDF, San Bernardino County Fire, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office, U.S. Forest Service, CHP, LA County Fire, CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Red Cross, and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

-- The Desert Sun

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Unconfrimed reports: DC-10 drops 12,000 gallons on wildfires
July 16, 4:03 p.m.
A DC-10 "super-tanker" has been used to fight the Sawtooth Complex and Millard Complex fires, according to unconfirmed reports.

It is the first time the modified commuter plane has been used on a wildfire.

The jet is capable of dropping 12,000 gallons of water or retardant.

Typical airplanes used in the aerial assault on the fire can carry 1,200 gallons.

The retooled DC-10 tanker demonstrated its water-drop capabilities at the prestigious Paris Air Show in June 2005.

-- The Desert Sun

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Report gives glimpse into Sawtooth's fury and the danger to fire crews
July 16, 3:45 p.m.
Three separate incidents in which firefighters were trapped July 11 are under investigation.

And, a preliminary report on those incidents gives a glimpse into the Sawtooth Complex Fire’s rage as it swept through Pioneertown on that day.

The incidents are the subject of a joint investigation by the federal Bureau of Land Management, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

No firefighters are mentioned by name in the report.

One incident involved a Bureau of Land Management captain and occurred approximately two miles southwest of the intersection of Keys Ranch and Pioneertown roads.

The captain was in the area evaluating houses and other structures. As he headed up an unnamed road he reached a two-story house and stopped his SUV.

“Before he had time to get out of his vehicle to assess the structure, the fire front hit with blackout condition, including high velocity winds and extreme heat,” the report states.

“Realizing that he had no escape options, he remained in his vehicle while the fire front passed by him.”

The captain radioed incident command to let officials know of his situation, the report states.

He also requested air support, but it was not deemed feasible due to the wind and smoke conditions, the report states.

Taking refuge in the back seat of his SUV, the captain was forced to climb back into the driver’s seat to quickly reverse the vehicle because it was too close to the fire front and had caught on fire.

The captain stayed in the vehicle until the fire front passed.

Another incident occurred at about the same time in the Paloma Avenue and Lariat Trails area, at 1 p.m., involving San Bernardino County firefighters also protecting structures in Pioneertown.

A crew was clearing brush around a house when its members noticed changing fire behavior.
High velocity winds caused the fire to rapidly spread toward the crew and members took refuge in their fire engine to escape flames.

After the fire passed, three firefighters were treated for minor burns or smoke inhalation at a local hospital. They were later released.

A third incident involved the city of Twentynine Palms Fire Department, also providing structure protection in Pioneertown on Lariat Trails.

While protecting a house, crew members saw fire spreading quickly toward them and sought refuge in the house’s garage.

The two buildings then caught fire and crew members had to climb out the garage’s window to escape.

They ran to their fire engine and began driving to a pre-arranged safe point. But during the drive, they experienced zero visibility, the report states.

As a result the fire engine sustained minor damage after nearly striking a burning Joshua Tree.

A firefighter sitting in the open rear cab of the engine — wearing full wildland protection gear — suffered minor burns to her back when she turned away from the heat blast.

The injured firefighter was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital where she was treated and released.

A list of damage to vehicles in these three incidents gives evidence of their close calls with Sawtooth’s fury:

melted blinker lenses and side view mirrors.

scorched paint.

melted hose bed covers.

cracked windshields.

The incidents remain under investigation.

The report states that multiple safety issues are under review in light of these incidents, including the practice of taking refuge inside fire engines, vehicles or houses, as a last resort in the face of an approaching fire storm.

“Line supervisors need to continually weigh risk versus benefit in their strategy and tactics,” the preliminary report states.

-- The Desert Sun

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Smoke advisory in effect
July 16, 2:37 p.m.
A smoke advisory is in effect for the areas of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties and the Coachella Valley affected by the wildfires.

Individuals are urged to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities and exposure to smoke. - South Coast Air Quality Management District

-- The Desert Sun

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Send The Desert Sun your photos of the wildfires and the aftermath
July 16, 2:33 p.m.
To our readers:

The Desert Sun has numerous staffers – reporters and photographers – stationed throughout San Bernardino County this afternoon, gathering more information about the fires and snapping photos.

They are stationed in a place where they cannot transmit digital images, but we expect a wave of updated photos soon.

In the meantime, we want to see more of your digital images.

Have you taken pictures since the fires erupted a week ago?

We have posted nearly 400 photos on our Web site, with more than 100 of them coming from readers like you.

Please, show us your photo handiwork by visiting thedesertsun.com/uploads and then return to our Web site to see your photos on our continuously updated coverage.

Make sure you tell friends and relatives about your photos and about our coverage.

Thank you for reading thedesertsun.com

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth and Millard fires: Latest updates
July 16, 2:03 p.m.
The fires that have swept through the mountains northwest of Palm Springs today have charred nearly 78,000 acres, but firefighters continue to make progress in controlling the blazes, firefighters said today.

As they battle not only California’s largest working wildfire but also oppressive triple-digit temperatures, firefighters are also possibly turning to a new – and very big – weapon to beat back the flames: A modified DC-10 “super-tanker” jet airplane capable of dropping 12,000 gallons of water or retardant on the fire.

Typical airplanes used in the aerial assault on the fire can carry 1,200 gallons.

It would be the first time the modified commuter plane would be used on a wildfire.

The retooled DC-10 tanker showed its water-drop capabilities at the prestigious Paris Air Show in June 2005.

But because it has never been used on a wildfire, officials are “more than cautious,” Mike Padilla, director of aviation for the California Department of Forestry, told The Desert Sun around 12:30 p.m.

“This is a very big aircraft, a new tool,” he said. “We want to take baby steps with it. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when we get all of this put together.”

Here are the other latest headlines:

Even though the two fires – known as the Sawtooth Complex and the Millard Complex – merged Friday, authorities are still providing separate statistical edges on the fires.

As of about 9 a.m. today, the last time officials have provided media briefings, Sawtooth burned 62,000 acres, but is 60 percent contained. The smaller Millard is 15 percent contained and has charred 15,572 acres.

Authorities are monitoring firefighters’ health and how they’re being affected by the extreme heat.

There’s significant concern about the potential for heat exhaustion.

Fire crews comprised of “hot shots” — elite, specially trained, wildfire fighting teams — are mobile. Each member can carry much on his or her back, officials said.

What they wear may not weigh as much as the gear worn by firefighters who extinguish house fires, however, one wildfire fighter may carry a 45-pound chainsaw, a 30-pound pack, an axe/pick, a shovel, a helmet and other items. Their clothing, officials said, does not breath and treks into areas where fire breaks will be built can sometimes be long and arduous.

Temperatures today are expected to remain in the triple-digits with a 20-30 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Thunderstorm clouds have the potential to carry strong winds, that could reach as high as 35 mph and create a down draft. Those strong downward winds could endanger firefighters on the ground because they wouldn't be able to tell what direction the winds were coming from.

Officials are also concerned about new lightning strikes that could hinder crews. Firefighters might become human lightning rods, officials said.

Residents living in the aftermath of a massive Southern California wildfire may soon find themselves in the path of another natural disaster – mudslides and flash floods.

Midday Sunday, sheriff’s deputies and public works officials set about warning as many as 5,000 people from Landers to Morongo Valley about the potential danger.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rob Balfour said thunderstorms are likely as monsoonal moisture moves into the area which is already experiencing record levels of heat.

He said cloud systems building over the mountains aren’t likely to produce much moisture today. But rain is likely by mid-week.

“We have a second pulse of moisture coming up on Monday and Tuesday.”

Vana Olson, assistant director of public works for San Bernardino County, said residents should stay away from washes and families should keep track of each other in the event of rain.

Floods could block or wash out roads leaving residents stranded. And hikers, children or anyone else at the bottom of a canyon, arroyo or wash could find themselves in a life-threatening situation with little or no warning.

“A person in a channel with a lot of debris does not have a prayer,” Olson said. “People do not survive that.”

-- The Desert Sun

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What could follow wildfires? Flash floods
July 16, 1:22 p.m.
Yucca Valley residents living in the aftermath of a massive Southern California wildfire may soon find themselves in the path of another natural disaster — mudslides and flash floods.

The Sawtooth Complex Fire burning from the Mojave desert to the San Bernardino National Forest burned vegetation from about 77,000 steep, rocky acres that are already subject to floods even when root systems are in place to hold the soil.

This morning sheriff’s deputies and public works officials set about warning as many as 5,000 people from Landers to Morongo Valley about the potential danger.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rob Balfour said thunderstorms are likely as monsoonal moisture moves into the area which is already experiencing record levels of heat.

Balfour said cloud systems building over the mountains aren’t likely to produce much moisture today. But rain is likely by mid-week.

“We have a second pulse of moisture coming up on Monday and Tuesday,” Balfour said.

Vana Olson, assistant director of public works for San Bernardino County, said residents should stay away from washes and families should keep track of each other in the event of rain.

Olson said floods could block or wash out roads leaving residents stranded. And hikers, children or anyone else at the bottom of a canyon, arroyo or wash could find themselves in a life-threatening situation with little or no warning.

“A person in a channel with a lot of debris does not have a prayer,” Olson said. “People do not survive that.”

-- The Desert Sun

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'One-of-a-kind' DC-10 may help with fire fight
July 16, 1:12 p.m.
A very new – and very big – weapon may be deployed as early as this afternoon or evening to fight raging local wildfires from the skies.

Officials are “within hours” of deciding whether to use a modified DC-10 “super-tanker” jet airplane to drop water or fire retardant on a wildfire for the first time ever.

The aircraft is based out of Victorville and is operated by a private company, the 10 Tanker STC Co., under contract with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Mike Padilla, director of aviation for CDF.

Both the aircraft and its crew have all necessary certifications for water or retardant drops on wildfires, Padilla said. The last few days have been spent evaluating whether and how the aircraft can be useful in helping douse the locally raging wildfires, he said.

“Because it’s a new tool, we’re looking at how it can be used in ways that are the most safe and effective as is possible,” he said.

“We are coordinating with the incident commanders themselves to make sure the aircraft could be deployed in such a way that it would be effective on the fire.”

The large DC-10 is a modified commuter aircraft, capable of a much larger payload of water or retardant – 12,000 gallons instead of the 1,200 dropped by the S-2T tanker airplanes CDF currently uses, Padilla said.

The one-of-a-kind DC-10 tanker demonstrated its water-drop abilities at the Paris Air Show in June 2005. But because it’s never before been used on a wildfire, officials are being “more than cautious,” Padilla said, as they work out just how maneuverable the plane will be in doing its job, how and how much water or retardant it can most effectively drop on fire areas, and other issues.

The DC-10 was in the air late this morning, along with a lead airplane providing management of its activities, as issues were being worked out and evaluated, Padilla said.

“This is a very big aircraft, a new tool,” he said. “We want to take baby steps with it.

“It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when we get all of this put together.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear tourists unfazed by wildfires
July 16, 1:06 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear tourists unfazed by wildfires
July 16, 12:35 p.m.
Vacationers at Big Bear Lake today ignored the falling ash and decided to enjoy their weekend activities at this popular recreational area.

Despite the wildfire that raged about several miles away, weekend flatlanders streamed to Big Bear Valley resort communities to fish, shop and dip spoons into bowls of fiery soup at the Old Miners chili cook-off.

“We decided to stay put (Friday), and I’m glad we did,’’ Michele Roth said this morning, as she overlooked the Old English garden at her custom-made Lake Williams home.

“It's blue skies, white puffy clouds this morning,’’ she said.

Equally calm this morning was neighbor Penny Schooley.

“I’ve been through this before,’’ she said from the $500,000 log cabin-style home that she and her husband assembled plank-by-plank on Monte Vista Street.

“When fire came up through the dam in 2003 and stopped in Running Springs, the whole valley was evacuated, Schooley said. “I learned to sit still until the police tell us to go.”

For more on this story check tomorrow's Desert Sun.

-- The Desert Sun

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'Our House is Gone'
July 16, 12:03 p.m.
Don and Dawn Crawford stood by their sport-utility vehicle in the American Red Cross shelter parking lot next to Yucca Valley High School this morning, their personal belongings all around them on the ground and in the vehicle. This is what’s left ­– a tent, some scorched tools, some papers, photographs.

The couple lived in Pipes Canyon on Bullwhip Lane. Their home, outbuildings, horse stables and two other vehicles were destroyed by the Sawtooth Complex fire. They’ve stayed at the Red Cross shelter since July 11.

The Crawfords were planning to start boarding horses, “before all this happened,” Don said.

They had about five minutes, time to gather one carload full of their belongings from their home, before being forced to flee the impending blaze. And they didn’t get to do much choosing, Dawn said.

“It was thrown in – I don’t even know what we’ve got in here,” she said.

Dawn found photos of their home and outbuildings. She already refers to them as “the ‘before’ pictures.”

Dawn happily exclaimed when she discovers she’s saved an afghan made for her by her stepmother, and family photos.

They saved the flat, liquid-looking, melted chrome bumper of their Oldsmobile sedan. Don said it looks like the villain from “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” – “it’s kind of ironic … because then Arnold shows up,” he said, referring to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the star of that action movie, who met with firefighters and victims in Yucca Valley yesterday.

The couple is talking about relocating to Tennessee, to see Dawn’s mother, who she hasn’t seen in 31 years.

“We’ll hopefully move on,” Don said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Pappy & Harriet's and other Pioneertown businesses open
July 16, 11:39 a.m.
Pappy & Harriet’s is back open.

Here’s an e-mail sent out regarding that business and others in Pioneertown:

Greetings!!!
As most of you already know, the people of The Hi Desert have been through a raging wild fire. From what I've heard, Pioneertown suffered the most damage.

Having said that, Pioneertown doesn't look as bad as you may think it does.

The firefighters did an amazing job saving peoples homes. Almost every home is surrounded by blackness, right up to the front doors!! I believe some homeowners stayed behind and saved their own...Pioneertown Style.

There has been an unbelievable outpouring of love from everyone all over the country and it has been greatly appreciated!

For the people that lost their homes we would love to get some kind of fund raiser going soon. Pioneertown needs some time to breathe and regroup. I am sure in the next few months benefits will be coming up.

Pappy & Harriet's got through the fire with
literally zero damage. Being there during the fire, I assumed the whole town would be burned to the ground. It's a miracle that it didn't. ... I think it speaks for itself!!
We are sorry for all that's been lost and thankful for all that's been saved.

Today is Sunday, July 16th. Pioneertown Road is open to the public. Pappy & Harriet's is open for business. Our beloved Thrift Store All Stars
will be taking the stage sometime in the late afternoon, early evening.!!!

We lost all of our food when the power went out, but we have a full bar, cold beer, hamburgers and hot dogs! True Pappy & Harriet's style.

Thanks to everyone for having us in their thoughts & prayers. xoxoxoxoxo

www.pappyandharriets.com

-- The Desert Sun

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Keeping firefighters hydrated
July 16, 11:15 a.m.
Record temperatures yesterday have fire crews focusing on hydration, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Karen Guillemin said today.

“We’re pushing firefighters to drink extra water,” she said. “With wind and that little bit of extra humidity they may feel as though they don’t need it as much but they do.”

Water is among about 65 pounds worth of gear each firefighter is carrying in the steep terrain and triple-digit temperatures.

Over the past few days, additional water and sports drinks have been dropped at helicopter drop sites near the wildfires so crews could access these supplies without having to carry them in.

-- The Desert Sun

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Officials: Unknown what Guthrie was doing before his death
July 16, 10:54 a.m.
Exactly what Jerry Guthrie was doing at the time of his death in the Sawtooth Complex Fire near his home in Pioneertown may remain a mystery, officials said today.

Guthrie, 57, was found yesterday about a mile northeast of his Pioneertown Road dome house.

“We’ll never know why Mr. Guthrie walked in that direction, away from his home, which was a safe area. It didn’t burn,” Beaver said.

She speculated that Guthrie may have been attempting to determine the fire’s spread toward his home.

Beaver noted that Guthrie was asked to leave the area by sheriff’s deputies prior to his death.

“We’re trying to stress to people when we ask them to evacuate that means the threat is immediate,” she said.

“We’re only asking you to leave your area for your safety.”

Added Karen Guillemin, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: “A hot shot, a very special group of people, can’t outrun a fire. I can’t stress enough how fast the fire can move.

“As much as a house means to you, and those memories, you can rebuild. You can’t bring back a life.”

A cause of death has yet to be released.

Since the start of the Sawtooth fire last week there has been one fatality and 11 minor injuries -- nine firefighters and two civillians, who suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation.

-- The Desert Sun

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Emergency personnel warning 5,000 about potential for floods
July 16, 10:35 a.m.
Weather is going to be a mixed blessing today, said Rob Balfour on-site incident meteorologist out of the National Weather Service’s San Diego office.

Humidity is expected to be higher today. As is a chance of thunderstorms. No significant rainfall is expected, at least until later Monday, he said.

“The biggest threat is going to be lightning and gusty winds,” Balfour said. “In addition to fire danger hand crews digging lines to try to stop the wildfire must be aware of lightning activity.

“They’re going to be lightning rods,” he said.

A major concern is if significant rainfalls arrive in coming days.

“The soil has been essentially cooked so it can’t absorb water. Everything just sort of sloughs off,” he said.

San Bernardino Emergency Management workers are going door-to-door today alerting 5,000 people about the threat of flash flooding and debris flow.

Crews are also working to clear drainage areas.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot of rain,” Balfour said. “It’s the intensity, not the amount.”

-- The Desert Sun

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FEMA director may visit this week
July 16, 10:03 a.m.
FEMA’s director may fly in this week about the Sawtooth Complex and Millard wildfires, a spokesman with the agency in Washington D.C. said Sunday.
R. David Paulison, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has been talking about visiting with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and wildfire crews, the FEMA spokesman said.
Paulison used to be chief of South Florida's Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Department.
“He’s got a soft spot in his heart for firefighters,” said spokesman Butch Kinerney.
So far, the state has not requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration through FEMA.
The focus now is supporting fire crews in the battle, said Eric Lamoureux, spokesman for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Once the fire is out, damage will be assessed so the governor has all the information he needs to decide about a request, Lamoureux said.
The state has received a fire management assistance grant from FEMA.
Once the wildfire is out, the grant will reimburse state and local fire agencies at least 75 percent of the money they spent fighting it, Lamoureux said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth up to 62,000 acres
July 16, 09:24 a.m.
According to the latest update here are the statistics on the Sawtooth Complex Fire:
62,000 acres burned.
15 helicopters.
8 fixed wing.
60 percent contained.
2,902 personnel.
$10.3 million current costs.


Officials have begun the process of demobilizing some of the fire crews stationed in areas of potential emergency.

However, all hand crews, bulldozers and aircraft fighting the Sawtooth blaze remain, said Karen Guillemin, California Department of Forestry spokeswoman.

The most intense area of firefighting is in the Coon Creek area.

Hand crews have been flown in to that area.
“The area that is burning is extremely steep, very rocky and sparse vegetation,” Guillemin said, adding that firefighters are attempting to prevent embers carried by the wind to cause the fire to jump.

The Rimrock area is now reopened to residents only.

There is no power or water service in the area, so residents should not expect to stay upon return, officials said.

A mandatory evacuation continues in the Burns Canyon area, with a voluntary evacuation in the Coon Creek area, said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Beaver.

Firefighters are putting secondary lines in the Burns Canyon and Rattlesnake area to Highway 38, northeast of Pioneertown, in an attempt to stop Sawtooth’s spread.

Crews are also doing “mop-up” work all around the Sawtooth fire’s northern, eastern and southern perimeters where it appears to be out or largely contained, Guillleman said.

Crews go 100 feet into a burned area an make sure it is “cold,” she said.

Any smoking or hot material they encounter is buried, she added.

-- The Desert Sun

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The hazards of the weather
July 16, 08:54 a.m.
As weather continues to play a significant factor in fighting the wildfires, authorities today are concerned about the potential for heat exhaustion among those fighting the blazes.

Fire crews comprised of “hot shots” — elite, specially trained, wildfire fighting teams — are mobile. Each member can carry much on his or her backs, officials said.

What they wear may not weigh as much as the gear worn by firefighters who extinguish house fires, however, one wildfire fighter may carry a 45-pound chainsaw, a 30-pound pack, an axe/pick, a shovel, a helmet and other items.

Their clothing, officials said, does not breath and treks into areas where fire breaks will be built can sometimes be long and arduous.

In the case of hot shots, these expert firefighters sometimes have to be airlifted into areas where the terrain is too steep for normal landings.

The firefighters, as was the case with the Millard fire, repel down to land on cables extended from hovering helicopters where the fire breaks need to be built — all while carrying that gear.

Temperatures today are expected to remain in the the triple-digits with a 20-30 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Officials are concerned about weather patterns developing toward the south in Baja and in the east, which could mix to increase the chance of thunderstorms.

If a cloud forms over the wildfire areas it could carry with it the possibility for down drafts that would create strong winds, officials said.

Those winds are especially dangerous because those on the ground would be unable to tell what direction they are coming from, officials said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard up to 15,000 acres
July 16, 08:14 a.m.
The Millard Complex Fire is up to 15,000 acres with 10 percent containment, officials said this morning.

Forecasters are predicting a 20 percent chance of rain, however, officials are more concerned about the possibility of thunderstorms, which carry the possibility of lightning strikes.

“We believe they’ll be a much better chance of lightning strikes today than tomorrow,” said Jim Wilkins, of the U.S. Forest Service.

-- The Desert Sun

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Flash flooding now a concern
July 16, 07:54 a.m.
The San Bernardino Office of Emergency Services is warning of potential flood danger downstream from wildfire burn areas.

Wildfire damage has increased the chances for flash flood, and mud and debris flows from thunderstorms.

The National Weather Service has announced the possibility of thunderstorm activity in San Bernardino County as early as today.

If the thunderstorms occur areas of land downstream of the Sawtooth Complex and Millard Complex fires may experience large amounts of storm flows, carrying mud and fire debris, clogging stream beds, bridges and culverts, officials said.

Flooding can occur far from the burned areas, as well, officials said.

With no vegetation left to hold water, streams will fill rapidly and increase the possibility of flooding in regions below the burned areas.

Residents in low-lying regions should take precautions to protect their properties through the use of sandbags or other measures.

Area residents should review their family emergency plans and make provisions for possible power outages and disruption to roads and services.

Parents are advised to caution their children to avoid washes and flooded areas.

Extreme caution should be used when crossing washes and arroyos, since these natural drainages can experience flash floods. Motorists should never drive through running water.

-- The Desert Sun

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People warned about illegal bonfires
July 15, 9:27 p.m.
Several people have been warned about igniting an illegal bonfire in Yucca Valley, a city that has so far escaped the Sawtooth Fire's wrath.

-- The Desert Sun

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National Weather Service predicts rain, lightning, stronger winds
July 15, 8:48 p.m.
The National Weather Service said the pyrocumulus clouds today dropped a little hail today, but no lightning.

More thunderstorms are expected to come in from Arizona tonight. Strong wind gusts and lightning are expected tonight and Sunday. It’s a dangerous period.

Sunday, there's a 30 percent chance of rain, but not enough to wet anything.

A 40 percent chance of rain arrives Monday, with a 10th of an inch to half an inch of rain.

Tuesday to Wednesday, there will be a good chance of rain and flashflooding, with 2 inches of rain predicted each day.

-- The Desert Sun

---

A third fire name: The Heart Fire
July 15, 8:48 p.m.
A portion of the fire – in the northwest – is called the Heart Fire.

It comprises about 18 acres that have burned in the San Bernardino National Forest.

A third management team will be staged in Big Bear. People will trickle in on Sunday and it will be up and running.

-- The Desert Sun

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American Red Cross will begin helping Monday with new phone numbers
July 15, 8:45 p.m.
American Red Cross is going to have an outreach program beginning at 10 a.m. Monday.

People with disaster-related needs can call (760) 774-0504 or (760) 774-0475 to make an appointment to meet with a Red Cross case worker.

-- The Desert Sun

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More stats from the Sawtooth
July 15, 8:45 p.m.
From Sawtooth:
50 homes destroyed
12 homes partial damage
1 garage
1 outbuilding

-- The Desert Sun

---

Looting has not been a problem
July 15, 8:44 p.m.
No looting problems because of heavy police presence.

-- The Desert Sun

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More stats from the Sawtooth Fire
July 15, 8:23 p.m.
Total resources: 2,902 personnel
Injuries: 11
Engines: 206
Fire crews: 85
Water tender: 41
Dozers: 35
Air attack: 2
Tankers: 6
Helicopters: 15
Minor injuries: 11

-- The Desert Sun

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Dispatch from the front lines along Highway 38
July 15, 8:14 p.m.
From Desert Sun reporter Benjamin Spillman:

One benefit of covering wildfires is the education.

It is a crash course in topics such as geography, fire behavior, meteorology, topography, cartography and even biology.

The overwhelming amount of information makes it tough to predict the right place and time to catch the news as it unfolds. The abundance of speculation and misinformation about burning fires makes recognizing bad information as important as interpreting the good stuff.

There’s also the matter of actually getting to the news. Fires in our area can stretch from the lowest, hottest desert in North America to the top of the steepest mountain range on the continent. And the news often happens at the end of narrow, rugged roads that can be shrouded in smoke, making it difficult to orient yourself.

You’d better be ready with good maps, a full tank of gas, plenty of water, safety gear and – perhaps most importantly – a willingness and ability to ditch the 4x4 and walk into the wilderness to get the news. And don’t count on your cell phones. They usually don’t work.

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth Fire now at nearly $9 million to fight
July 15, 7:39 p.m.
Total cost of the Sawtooth Fire: $8.7 million.

-- The Desert Sun

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The latest statistics from the Sawtooth Fire; Burns Canyon still threatened
July 15, 7:20 p.m.
Sawtooth Fire

60,000 acres
50 percent contained
Property value saved: $900 million
Homes destroyed: 50
Current threat is Burns Canyon

-- The Desert Sun

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Sunset photo from the Coachella Valley
July 15, 7:14 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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A couple more closures
July 15, 5:50 p.m.
Millard Fire is still about 12,304 acres.

Whitewater Canyon Road and Mission Creek Road are closed to the public, but are still open to residents.

The San Gorgonio Wilderness is still closed to the public.

-- The Desert Sun

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No cause of death yet for Jerry Guthrie
July 15, 5:46 p.m.
Officials won’t know what caused Jerry Guthrie’s death until an autopsy is done. That could take a couple of days.

No information is available on Guthrie’s injuries.

“I was in that area myself, and I can tell you all of that area was burned,” San Bernardino Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Beaver.

Beaver speculates that maybe the fire hadn’t reached his house yet but Guthrie may have gone outside to see how close the flames were and been caught by the fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Body identified as Jerry Guthrie, 57
July 15, 5:33 p.m.
The body found in Pioneertown has been identified as Jerry Guthrie, a man who had been missing since Tuesday, when the Sawtooth Fire flared up and burned nearly 50 homes in the area.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters aim to stop blaze in Pipes Canyon
July 15, 5:28 p.m.
The fire has been very calm today thanks to calm weather, enabling hand crews and bulldozer lines to move closer to the fire. The firebreaks are about 4 miles from Big Bear Lake.

Air attacks have continued to help slow the fire as well.

Firefighters are trying to stop the massive blaze in Pipes Canyon.

The two fires' momentum from Friday's merge has slowed thanks to the calm wind and humidity today.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire about 5 miles from Sugar Loaf and Erwin Lake
July 15, 5:10 p.m.
The fire is still about 5 miles from Erwin Lake and Sugar Loaf, but firefighters are being removed from a hillside off Highway 38.

More details will be revealed from officials shortly.

-- The Desert Sun

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Rimrock evacuation has been lifted
July 15, 5:10 p.m.
Residents have been allowed back into Rimrock.

An evacuation remains for Burns Canyon Road.

-- The Desert Sun

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More details of found body to be revealed about 5:30 p.m.
July 15, 4:48 p.m.
Deputies are clearing the scene where a man’s body was found this morning, but it could be about 30 minutes before more details are known.

Officials are still trying to identify the remains. Jerry Guthrie is the only man known to be missing. He hasn’t been heard from since Tuesday afternoon when the fire ravaged the area and Pioneertown was evacuated.

“This is the only fatality that may be related to the fire,” said San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department Spokeswoman Cindy Beaver.

Beaver said she a call at 11 a.m. said that search-and-rescuers had found the man.

Officials are waiting for the coroner. The body was found about 1 mile northeast of Guthrie’s Pioneertown Road home.

“It’s hard to say if the body was exposed to the extreme temperatures,” Beaver said.

Guthrie was officially reported missing late Thursday. About 20 people canvassed about 50 acres Friday.

Guthrie’s vehicles are all accounted for. His dome house was not burned, though the area around it was scorched.

“It was kind of a mystery,” Beaver said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Pioneertown resident Jerry Guthrie still missing
July 15, 4:11 p.m.
Mark Taggatz, the boss of Ray Guthrie, son of Pioneertown resident Jerry Guthrie, at Ozone Safe Foods in Palm Springs, said he got a call from Ray this afternoon.

Jerry Guthrie has been missing since the fire flared up in Pioneertown on Tuesday. A body was found today just a mile from his home. There's a good chance it is him.

“It’s certainly a sad day,” Taggatz said. “He was a very kind and generous individual and a good family man.”

Jerry Guthrie ran his own electronics business.

“Ray mentioned that he thought he might have panicked and taken off into the desert,” Taggatz said. “I really don’t know. It’s a shocking tragedy. Hopefully time can heal the wounds.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Evacuation notice given to rustic neighborhood at Onyx Summit
July 15, 3:59 p.m.
Residents living in 20 homes in a rustic neighborhood off Highway 38 at Coon Creek – found between Lake Williams and Barton Flats – have spent the day clearing excess vegetation from their roads and using ATVs to travel to a ridge to try spotting flames.

While it’s very smoky in the area, known as Onyx Summit, no flames can be found off their dirt road that requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle to travel.

Along the side of the road are big piles of dead wood.

Just minutes ago, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy issued a voluntary evacuation for the area, the first along Highway 38 to receive such notice.

"Some have decided to stay until it gets maybe a little closer. ... The fire's moving toward this area," said Scott McReynolds, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy.

-- The Desert Sun

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Latest fire story from the AP, including body found near Pioneertown
July 15, 3:50 p.m.
By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
Associated Press Writer

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Nearly 4,000 firefighters worked in blistering temperatures Saturday to corral a huge complex of fires in rugged wilderness as authorities found a body in a blackened part of the desert.
The body was found shortly after 11 a.m. by a search-and-rescue crew, less than a mile away from the home of Jerry Guthrie, who has been missing since Tuesday after a fire swept through the historical community of Pioneertown.
No identification has yet been made. Detective James Porter of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department told The Associated Press that the victim appears to be a man and the death appears to have been fire-related.
There were no other reports of missing persons affected by the fire, authorities said.
A family member last heard from the 57-year-old when he called from his 10-acre property and said the fire was close and he was preparing to evacuate, authorities said. Guthrie’s house was not destroyed, although the fire swept through the area.
The body was found in a blackened area near the base of a hill a short distance from the Guthrie’s two-story domed house. Sheriff’s deputies were at the home and the site of the body that was surrounded by yellow tape.
Fire officials reported some progress on the fires, which covered areas equal to more than 110 square miles, in the inland region of Southern California about 100 miles east of Los Angeles.
The 59,000-acre Sawtooth Fire was 40 percent contained — its eastern flank no longer a problem but its western side still a major concern. Evacuations remained in effect in three areas, but were lifted in four others. Ignited by lightning a week ago it roared to life a few days later, destroying 56 desert homes and many outbuildings.
The adjacent Millard complex of fires, which merged with the Sawtooth on Friday, grew to 12,304 acres but was still 5 percent contained. Crews protected a handful of homes in a canyon, but there were no evacuations.
The fires were burning below the flanks of the San Bernardino Mountains, but as of Saturday were not considered immediate threats to resort communities in the Big Bear Lake region atop the range.
“There is no evacuation or potential evacuations at this time for Big Bear,” said Wayne Barringer, a fire information officer for the California Department of Forestry.
Firefighters were being airlifted to the inaccessible western flank of the Sawtooth Fire or were being driven in and hiking the rest of the way. Some crews were having to camp in remote locations.
Cate Baker-Hall, 55, an artist who has lived on a 7-acre property since 1984, said her three-story home burned to the ground. She lost a collection of more than 100 paintings, lithographs and other art works, along with a manuscript of a book she had just completed on the 1960s British band, The Zombies, she said.
One bright spot: she recently removed a valuable collection of works by artist Edward Ruscha.
The house “is just gone,” she said. “I’m trying to take the Buddha approach and deal with today. There’s only so many tears you can cry.”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited a command post at Yucca Valley High School with wife Maria Shriver, said that on a helicopter tour they had flown close enough to see firefighters working on the ground.
“It is a huge fire. It is really extraordinary how quickly it has spread out,” he said. “And that’s why I say it is very dangerous and they have to contain it as quickly as possible.”
Briefing the governor, Sawtooth incident commander Rick Henson indicated the threat to structures in Yucca Valley communities was over, but he noted that when the fires merged they began moving a bit north and west, toward the mountains.
“It’s really not moving toward Big Bear right now but it is a threat,” he said.
Elsewhere in Southern California, a 500-acre blaze in Redlands was 20 percent contained after destroying one building. It broke out Friday night and threatened 100 homes but there were no evacuations.
In San Diego County, the 120-acre Pine Fire in Cleveland National Forest was fully contained and hand crews were finishing off the remains of a 20-acre blaze that spread over both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border in Tecate, said CDF spokeswoman Audrey Hagen.
———
AP Television Newsman Steve Fluty contributed to this report.

-- The Desert Sun

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New evacuation voluntary off Highway 38
July 15, 3:42 p.m.
New voluntary evacuation: Areas south of Highway 38 from Little Cienaga Seca to the end of Rainbow Lane.

"Some have decided to stay until it gets maybe a little closer. ... The fire's moving toward this area," said Scott McReynolds, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Latest numbers from the Sawtooth Fire
July 15, 3:42 p.m.
As 1:45 p.m., the Sawtooth Fire is:
40 percent contained
59,000 acres scorched
Estimated personal property loss prevented: $750 million
Estimated personal property loss: $8.4 million
Air attack: 2
Tankers: 6
Helicopters: 15
Peronnel: 2,896

-- The Desert Sun

---

Body found in burned area
July 15, 3:36 p.m.
A search-and-rescue crew found a body near Pioneertown. The body has not been identified, but 57-year-old Jerry Guthrie has been missing since Tuesday.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Pavilion Theatre to offer free show to their families
July 15, 3:34 p.m.
The Pavilion Theatre in Palm Springs is offering free admission to all family members of anyone working the wildfires to see the new comedy “Aga-Boom” on Wednesday.

-- The Desert Sun

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Community meetings aids more than 100 people
July 15, 2:55 p.m.
Lynne Fischer, an analyst with the San Bernardino County administrative office, said 26 agencies attended the community meeting at the Yucca Valley Community Center this afternoon. It ended about 3 p.m.

More than 100 people, including several dozen families, received help and advice. Among that advice: beware of scam artists looking to profit off their losses while they rebuild their homes.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, who represents Desert Hot Springs and some of the high desert, attended the meeting as well.

-- The Desert Sun

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Rimrock residents battle a flareup
July 15, 2:44 p.m.
Rimrock residents battled a number of hotspots late Saturday morning, including a half-acre flareup about a half-mile north of Pioneertown
Road and Burns Canyon Road before firefighters came to their aid.

The flare-ups, reignited in smoldering brush and joshua trees near God's Way Love Road, touched off about 11:30 a.m., said resident Paula
Heil who helped knock down the small fires.

"A couple of hot spots kicked up and the locals put it out," she said.

"We just went in and fought it by hand."
The hot spots show that the remnants of the Sawtooth Complex fire that ravaged the Pioneertown area on Tuesday, still have residents here on edge.

"It's touch and go up here," Heil said. "Now, we're on patrol, because now it's windy. Rimrock is still under a mandatory evacuation. It can get scary fast."

-- The Desert Sun

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Car accident slows traffic near community meeting
July 15, 2:12 p.m.
A car accident has occurred on Twentynine Palms Highway at Dumosa Avenue, which leads people into the Yucca Valley Community Center for the fire community center meeting that ends about 3 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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No evacuations at cabins in Angelus Oaks
July 15, 2:10 p.m.
There is a “full house” at the Seven Oaks Mountain Cabins in Angelus Oaks, a community in the San Bernardino Mountains about 5 miles northwest of the fires, according to operator Cindy Eldredge.

Other than a possible Highway 38 closing, Eldredge says residents at the cabins are not too concerned about the fires.

“I call the (California Highway Patrol) and forest rangers office to get updates on Highway 38, but that’s about it.”

At this point, the California Department of Transportation Web site reported no traffic restrictions for Highway 38.

-- The Desert Sun

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Governor calls firefighters 'true heroes'
July 15, 1:37 p.m.
Stephen Hernandez, 12, has seen all the “Terminator” movies. Now the Pioneertown evacuee has the “Terminator’s” autograph.
“I’ve never met him before,” Stephen said of the governor.
In a flyover Saturday morning, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger surveyed the damaged wreaked by two wildfires, which in little more than a week have scorched more than 71,000 acres.
Stephen’s home burned down when the Sawtooth fire blazed through Pioneertown earlier in the week.
“The Red Cross has become our second family,” said Dawn Deller-Crawford, Stephen’s mother.
The governor’s whirlwind tour included a breakfast of scrambled eggs and fried potatoes with firefighters that quickly turned into an autograph session.
To the delight of the throngs who gathered around the governor at the makeshift mess hall next to the Yucca Valley High School tennis courts, Schwarzenegger signed anything firefighters handed him – ball caps, bandanas, pocket receipts and a $1 bill.
“We wanted to see firsthand how well we’re doing here fighting the fires,” Schwarzenegger said at a press conference following a quick visit with evacuees at the evacuation center set up by the American Red Cross in Yucca Valley.
“We’re very proud of our firefighters. They are true heroes.”
California First Lady Maria Shriver, who accompanied the governor, called the multiagency coordination uplifting and very inspiring.
The coordinated effort was a hard-learned lesson that dates back to fall 2003, Schwarzenegger said.
In 2003, Southern California fires raged, drawing criticism because of slow response time and lacking resources. One of those fires, the Old Fire, scorched about 100,000 acres and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes, including hundreds in the city of San Bernardino.
“We have battle tested our firefighters,” Schwarzenegger said. “They are the best trained in the nation.
“They are second to none.”

-- The Desert Sun

---

Some have evacuated camp in Barton Flats
July 15, 1:30 p.m.
The Barton Flats Campground, about 5 miles northwest of the fire in the San Bernardino Mountains, remains open for campers despite the ominous billow smoke visible from the camp.

Cindy Quake, head host at the campground, could see the billowing smoke from the fire, but reported no smell or falling ash at the campground.

“There’s no evacuations” Quake said. “But it is quiet in the camp because I think campers were afraid of the fire.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Life as usual in Big Bear
July 15, 12:43 p.m.
In Big Bear, it's business as usual, except helicopters are using the lake area to pick up water or retardant.

Just southeast of Lake Williams, the sky is filled with smoke.

In Big Bear, it's a bit hazy to the southeast.

-- The Desert Sun

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Animal reunions
July 15, 12:31 p.m.
At least 12 animals staying at the Hi Dez Kennels in Yucca Valley were reunited with their owners today and 27 were returned to their homes yesterday director Cindy Joyce said.

They are among more than 100 animals displaced by the fire that the kennel took in.

The kennel held 89 animals when sheriffs said they needed to evacuate.

Thanks to a lot of volunteers, it took only 50 minutes to get all the animals out.

They were taken to Homestead Valley Park in Landers until it was safe to return to Hi Dez.

-- The Desert Sun

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Pyrocumulus
July 15, 12:02 p.m.
The large cloud over seen over the fires and pictured below is called a pyrocumulus, said Mike Lavis, forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Like regular cumulus clouds, this type of cloud forms when there is enough moisture and instability in the atmosphere.

The heat energy from the fire creates an upward boost, pushing the pyrocumulus above the other clouds.

These clouds could also develop into thunderstorms in the right atmospheric conditions.

There is a slight chance of thunderstorms today and the threat is gradually increasing into the beginning of this week.

-- The Desert Sun

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Landers sees big plume of smoke
July 15, 11:42 a.m.
"I am in Flamingo Heights. The smoke has cleared, but we are getting a strong wind blowing east and northeast and there is a big plume of smoke coming over the mountains to the west."
-- Janna in Landers

-- The Desert Sun

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Whitewater Trout Farm closed
July 15, 11:31 a.m.
All operations at the Whitewater Trout Farm are closed until further notice.

The fire is about a half-mile from that location.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires top priority in nation
July 15, 11:26 a.m.
"These two fires at this time are still number one and two and that gives us a real strategic advantage in that what we request we usually get in a timely fashion," Wilkins said.

Crews and equipment has come to the area from throughout the country.

The fight against the fire is now under a unified command with U.S. Forest Service, CDF, Riverside County Fire Department and Riverside County Sheriff.

Representatives from eacy agency have an equal say in what's going on, Wilkins said.

"What you see here is the best in government cooperation on all levels," said Mark Rey, Undersecretary of Agriculture.

-- The Desert Sun

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Here's the view from the Coachella Valley
July 15, 11:19 a.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Here's Gov. Schwarzenegger's visit to firefighters in Yucca Valley
July 15, 11:18 a.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Road Closed
July 15, 11:02 a.m.
Mission Creek Road is closed to the public.

-- The Desert Sun

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Evacuation Update: Burns Canyon, Rimrock still mandatory
July 15, 10:58 a.m.
Mandatory evacuations:
-Morongo Valley, west of Juniper and north of Pioneer Drive
-Burns Canyon
-Rimrock

Evacuations lifted for residents:
-Pioneertown
-Skyline Ranch
-Pipes Canyon
-Gamma Gulch

Evacuation Centers:
-Yucca Valley High School, 7600 Sage Ave.
-Big Bear Elementary School, 40940 Pennsylvania (for Burns Canyon residents)

-- The Desert Sun

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Pristine land can be 'dozed if necessary
July 15, 10:54 a.m.
The top U.S. Forest Service official has OK'd the creation of bulldozer lines in wilderness areas that are so pristine that bikes aren't allowed there if necessary.

The area is 10 miles north of I-10 beyond the Morongo Band of Mission Indians reservation.

Officials will then mend the areas as much as possible once the fires are over.

Gabe Garcia of the U.S. Forest Service said, "When you have wilderness, you're not allowed any mechanical equipment. It's just all foot and horse traffic. It is pristine."

Mike Muller of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said, "That is virtually unheard of."

They will only do it if the fire hits the top of the south fork of the Whitewater River.

Thomas Tidwell, the top U.S. Forest Service official in California, signed off on the order.

The San Gorgonio Wilderness was established in 1964 with the Wilderness Act.

-- The Desert Sun

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Management team in Big Bear
July 15, 10:43 a.m.
Jim Wilkins with the United States Forest Service said that while officials are not immediately concerned with the fire reaching Big Bear, a management team is in place.

"The complexity of this fire has become such that it just requires another management team,” Wilkins said. "We like to plan way far ahead because it takes a lot of time to get people and equipment up that mountain."

-- The Desert Sun

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Searching for missing man
July 15, 10:39 a.m.
Crews searched 50 acres yesterday for Gerald Guthrie, the 57-year-old Pioneertown man who went missing when the town was evacuated.

The search is continuing today said Cindy Beavers, spokesperson from San Bernardino Sheriff's office.

Guthrie's family filed a missing person's report Thursday night.

Guthrie is 6-foot-2, white, and weights about 250 pounds.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighter focus: Painted Hills
July 15, 10:33 a.m.
The northwest corner of the Sawtooth fire is approximately 6 airmiles from Big Bear and 0.5 miles from the fish hatchery at Whitewater Trout Co.

Firefighters are concerned now with Painted Hills, which is West of Highway 62 North of I-10.

Officials explained that Mission Creek is considered the dividing line for the two fires because it is identifiable from the air.

-- The Desert Sun

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Check out the fire from space
July 15, 10:29 a.m.
Check out the smoke trails of the Sawtooth and Millard fires from space here.

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth Damages
July 15, 10:24 a.m.
Buildings Destroyed:
-57 homes
-13 garages
-150 outbuildings
-191 vehicles
-3 RVs
-27 trailers
-2 rail cars
-9 tractors

Buildings Damaged:
-4 homes
-1 garage
-1 outbuilding
-2 haystacks
-2 miscellaneous

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard Fire Statistics
July 15, 10:09 a.m.
Millard Fire Statistics:
- 5 percent contained
- 12,304 acres (32.1 square miles) burned
- Cost: $3,577,563
- 885 personnel
- 20 hot shot crews
- 9 Type 1 helicopters (retardant carrying)
- 11 Type 2 helicopters (retardant, personnel carrying)
- 2 Type 3 helicopters (observation)
- 5 bulldozers

More bulldozers are scheduled to arrive soon.
-

-- The Desert Sun

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Send us your photos
July 15, 10:05 a.m.
The view of the smoke from the Coachella Valley today appears as haze.

If you've got some great photos of the smoke or fire from the Morongo Valley, Big Bear Valley or elsewhere, please send them to us via our home page at thedesertsun.com.

We'll then post them on our blog here so that everyone can check them out.

Thanks for reading and play it safe.

-- The Desert Sun

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The fire has grown to more than 70,000 acres
July 15, 10:00 a.m.
The fire, the combination of the Millard and Sawtooth fires, is now just more than 70,000 acres, or about 110 square miles.

-- The Desert Sun

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Agriculture Undersecretary to speak
July 15, 09:44 a.m.
Mark Rey, Undersecretary of for Natural Resources and Environment with the United States Department of Agriculture is at Yucca Valley High School and speaking about the fires.

-- The Desert Sun

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Governor signs evacuees' t-shirts
July 15, 09:42 a.m.
Stephen Hernandez, 12, and his mother Dawn Deller-Crawford met Governor Schwarzenegger when he visited the shelter this afternoon.

Stephen's sky-blue t-shirt, smudged with dirt from days of wear, now bears the governor's signature across the back.

The family's home on Bullwhip Lane in Pioneertown burned down and they have been staying in the Red Cross Shelter.

"The Red Cross has become our second family," Deller-Crawford said.

Stephen said he had never met Schwarzenegger before, but has seen all the Terminator movies.

Schwarzenegger also spent some time looking at the rescued pets in the area.

"I think he would have liked mine best," Stephen said about his two dogs and two kittens.

-- The Desert Sun

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Schwarzenegger: firefighters best-trained in nation
July 15, 09:33 a.m.
After meeting briefly with evacuees at the Red Cross Shelter, Governor Schwarzenegger spoke to the media about his impressions of the battle against the wildfires.

“We wanted to see firsthand how well we’re doing here fighting the fires,” he said.
“We are very proud of our firefighters. They are the true heroes.”

Schwarzenegger flew over the fire and got close enough to see crews working.

The governor called the coordination between the federal, state and county organizations “one-stop shopping.”

Maria Shriver called the collaborative effort inspiring and uplifting and said the message she’s taking home is “how well we all do when we work together.”

“We have battle-tested our firefighters,” the governor said. “They are the best trained in the nation. They are second to none.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire will continue to be treated as two
July 15, 09:16 a.m.
Officials are still referring to the large, merged wildfire separately as the Millard Complex Fire and the Sawtooth Complex Fire.

"Simply because of the way the county lines and forest property lines and that sort of thing is drawn...we still have to call it by a separate incident to keep everybody on track," Tom Wadley of the U.S. Forest Service explained.

The Millard fire is being fought by the U.S. Forest Service because of the vicinity to the San Bernardino National Forest.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has jurisdiction of the Sawtooth fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Aircraft take off
July 15, 09:06 a.m.
The aerial attack on the blaze began around 8:45 this morning, Dee Dechert of the U.S. Forest Service said.

Sixteen helicopters and six fixed-wing aircraft will battle the Millard fire today.

-- The Desert Sun

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Official: Big Bear not a concern
July 15, 08:54 a.m.
Officials at the Millard fire are not concerned with the blaze reaching Big Bear this morning, but as a safety measure a tactical group is staged in the area.

Tom Wadley with the U.S. Forest Service said they are prepared to protect homes in the area if necessary.

-- The Desert Sun

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New blaze in Redlands
July 15, 08:25 a.m.
Some of the firefighters battling the Sawtooth blaze may be sent to a 500-600 acre fire burning by Redlands, California.

Called the Edgemont Fire, it began burning last night at 8 p.m.

It is reported to be 20 percent contained and CDF Spokesperson Mary Flynn said "they're getting a really good handle on it and making really good progress."

Live Oak Canyon Road at San Timoteo and at outer Highway 10 (near the Riverside County Line) is closed.

Around 494 personnel are battling this blaze that has destroyed one outbuilding and caused a minor injury to one firefighter.

The cause is still under investigation.

-- The Desert Sun

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Schwarzenegger's breakfast with firefighters
July 15, 08:08 a.m.
Governor Schwarzenegger sat down to a breakfast of scrambled eggs with bell peppers and onions, potatoes and croissants with firefighting personnel this morning.

There was a lot of excitement in the room as a few hundred people scrambled to get photographs and pictures with the Governor.

He signed autographs on everything from receipts and newspapers to caps and bandanas.

Maria Shriver is also at the command center shaking hands with people.

-- The Desert Sun

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Structures no longer in danger
July 15, 07:56 a.m.
Officials said there is almost no threat to structures in the area of the Sawtooth fire this morning.

Though the Sawtooth and Millard fires connected around 3 p.m. yesterday, officials are still treating the blaze as two separate fires.

They spoke about working together with U.S. Forestry Service at Millard around Mission Creek - the demarcation line between the two fires.

There are some concerns about winds and the possible thunderstorm conditions today.

-- The Desert Sun

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Schwarzenegger speaks with firemen
July 15, 07:49 a.m.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has arrived at the Yucca Valley High School and is currently speaking privately with firefighters.

He will address the media around 8 a.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire 40 percent contained
July 15, 07:17 a.m.
The fire is now 40 percent contained and still holding at 59,000 acres this morning, Forestry Technician Jennifer Smith said.

The western side of the fire is a priority because it has burned into a portion of the San Bernardino National Forest.

Terrain in this area is extremely steep and rocky which is making access into the area very difficult for firefighters. They will continue attacking the blaze from the air.

Firefighters plan to complete containment lines on the fire’s northwest and southern sides.

-- The Desert Sun

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Evacuations lifted
July 15, 07:12 a.m.
Evacuations for Burns Canyon and Rim Rock have been lifted this morning.

Residents there are free to return to their homes.

-- The Desert Sun

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Waiting for the Governor
July 15, 06:44 a.m.
A few hundered people are milling around Yucca Valley High School, eating breakfast, catching up on the news or reading over materials for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's 7 a.m. briefing.

The school has transformed into a mini-city for fire-fighting personnel, the Red Cross and evacuees, even offering a next-day laundry service.

Check back with thedesertsun.com for updates on Gov. Schwarzenegger's visit.

-- The Desert Sun

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All is quiet at Red Cross shelter
July 15, 06:16 a.m.
Thirteen people spent the night in classrooms at the Red Cross shelter set up in Yucca Valley High School Friday night.

Twice that many people slept there Thursday night.

Joe Lowery, area duty officer from the Riverside Chapter of the Red Cross, said things are pretty quiet and people are very cooperative.

“Most people, considering the circumstances, have a good attitude,” Lowery said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Smoke hides mountains
July 15, 05:58 a.m.
The mountains are not even visible from Highway 62 until Morongo Valley because the smoke has created a hazy fog.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighting efforts reach Day 7
July 15, 03:56 a.m.
Firefighters will continue their air attack on the Millard fire at 5:30 a.m. today, using 12 air tankers and 22 helicopters.
“The plan of action is to continue to aggressively put retardant on the ground,” said Jim Wilkins, fire information officer for the United States Forest Service.
Firefighters continued fighting the Sawtooth Complex fire throughout the early morning hours. Officials plan to have updated information on their progress later this morning, California Department of Forestry Engineer Rick Griggs said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters can expect another hot day
July 15, 02:16 a.m.
Firefighters can expect a temperature near 82 degrees with light northwest winds around 5 miles per hour around 7 a.m. today, according to forecaster Mark Moede of the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Humidity values should be around 35 percent in the early-morning hours.

"It's going to be the most humid part of the day," Moede said. "It's only going to get drier."

An excessive heat warning is in effect today with highs ranging from 112-115. Firefighters can expect Northwest winds to increase to 10 to 15 miles per hour. Near the fire areas, winds could gust to 30 miles per hour, Moede said.

"The fire makes it's own weather, it's own wind," Moede said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire fighting costs reach $10 million
July 15, 00:39 a.m.
As of early Saturday, officials put the total fire fighting costs for the Sawtooth Complex and Millard fires at $10 million, and still rising.

Cost estimates for the larger Sawtooth Complex fire is $7.1 million, according to Rick Griggs, California Department of Forestry engineer.

Jim Wilkins, fire information officer for the United States Forest Service, said the estimated cost for the Millard fire is $3 million.

-- The Desert Sun

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The damage from the Sawtooth Complex Fire
July 14, 10:36 p.m.
56 homes
13 garages
150 outbuildings
191 vehicles
3 RVs
27 trailers
2 rail cars
9 tractors

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire T-shirts selling in Yucca Valley
July 14, 9:53 p.m.
Come to Yucca Valley, see Sawtooth and get the T-shirt.

Less than a mile from the huge white tents perched that house inmate firefighters on the high school football field, two T-shirt vendors set up shop selling souvenir T-shirts.

“Part of firefighter culture is buying a T-shirt,” said Linda Hunter, owner of California Fire Shirts. “Some people think we’re trying to make money off the tragedy, but that’s not why we’re here.

“They’re keep sakes for the firefighters.”

Hunter, who is a Yuba City paramedic, said she’s collected the souvenir shirts herself. She and her husband started the business seven years ago in Grass Valley California.

The $15 T-shirts are unique to the Sawtooth Complex, bear the fire’s name, location and the aircraft used to battle the blaze.

“Every design is different,” Hunter said. “We’ve never made two of exactly the same design.”

Not every wildfire gets a T-shirt – deciding which one to market, Hunter said, is a calculated gamble. Last year, she went to eight different fires, only one in California.

-- The Desert Sun

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Morongo Basin United Way to hold benefit breakfast
July 14, 9:22 p.m.
The Morongo Basin United Way in partnership with several member agencies are sponsoring a Benefit Breakfast for the Sawtooth Fire Victims on July 22.

The group is asking for help in supporting this effort.

It has 1,000 flyers and 500 tickets, both donated by VIP Printing, available at the Morongo Basin United Way offices.

If you would like to partner with the group in this event, please stop by its offices to pick up your flyers and tickets.

The group is in need of food and beverage donations as well as volunteers for the breakfast.

For information: call 760-228-2716.

-- The Desert Sun

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New statistics for Sawtooth and Millard fires
July 14, 8:17 p.m.
Sawtooth:

59,000 acres scorched.
35 percent contained
2,896 firefighters are involved in the battle.

Millard:
10,000 acres scorched.
5 percent contained.

-- The Desert Sun

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More fire photos
July 14, 8:01 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters now ponder the incoming storm
July 14, 7:37 p.m.
Firefighters' predicted nightmare scenario became reality today as the raging Sawtooth and Millard fires merged near Mission Creek west of state Route 62.

By late afternoon, flames from the combined wildfire — which has burned more than 63,000 acres — were heading in two directions. The southwestern portion continued heading southeast toward Mission Creek, with the northwestern portion burning toward Highway 38 and the resort area of Big Bear.

“OK, now I’m getting a little more worried,” said worried resident Angela Moritz, as ashes began falling in the Big Bear area in the afternoon. “I just went out to take a look at the smoke, and ashes a half-inch in size are starting to fall out of the sky. Ashes could mean that embers are not far behind.”

As reported Friday at thedesertsun.com, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made plans to visit Yucca Valley High School Saturday morning to meet with firefighters.

And San Bernardino County officials were still trying to pinpoint damage inflicted by the wildfires, though the cost of lost homes, cars and other property won’t be known until next week at the earliest.

“Right now, it’s just a burned-out black piece of land,” said Assistant Assessor Jeannie Adair, one of a contingent of officials visiting scorched portions of Pioneertown.

With that merger being anticipated and strategized over by firefighters during the past two days, firefighters today continued to beef up defenses in a bid to keep the wildfire away from the Big Bear region. Bulldozers urgently dug lines in the forest that could complement Highway 38 as a firebreak.

Firefighters hoped the moves would keep flames away from mountain communities such as Big Bear City, Lake Williams and Barton Flats.

The challenge was complicated by the fact that at higher elevations, a bark-beetle infestation and drought have created massive numbers of dead trees, which could potentially serve as tinder-like fuel for the wildfire if it reached that point.

In fall 2003, the Old Fire ripped through mountain communities such as Cedar Glen, providing a glimpse of what could be in store if firefighters could not stop the combined Sawtooth-Millard blaze.

The 2003 fire scorched about 100,000 acres and burned nearly 1,000 homes.

Today, more than 2,700 personnel — including firefighters from numerous agencies and a contingent of 850 prison inmates — continued to battle the latest wildfires, which had already burned a total of more than 60,000 acres before the merger.

The Sawtooth fire had scorched more than 53,000 acres since its Tuesday flareup near Pioneertown, and the Millard fire had burned more than 8,300 acres since it erupted Wednesday near Cabazon.

As the day wore on and the wildfires remained mostly uncontained, residents looking skyward saw the threat that loomed around the Big Bear Lake area.

“This afternoon the skies got real dark brown and orange,” said Roger Culbertson, former chairman of the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce, from his cabin in Big Bear Lake.

This is the fourth fire that has threatened the area in the 20 years he has spent in Big Bear.

“People are fairly used to it,” he said. “We are watching with guarded optimism.”

The wildfires’ merger came despite firefighters' continued furious attempts to combat the blazes with both air and ground attacks. Helicopters and other aircraft bombarded the flames with retardant, while bulldozers moved in to form containment lines and clear away kindling.

Observers were watching to see what effect weather conditions, including changing wind patterns, would have on firefighting efforts over the weekend.

Mother Nature did not give firefighters a break. Conditions were exceedingly hot and dry — which meteorologists say are ideal conditions for the growth of fires.

“There’s plenty of fuel for these fires to burn,” said Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, Md. At least through Saturday night, he said thunderstorms were unlikely.

While winds were relatively light for much of Friday, Feltgen said the fires “are getting so strong they’re creating their own weather environment.”

“Air is literally being pulled into the fire around it,” he said.

According to the local National Weather Service forecast, an excessive heat watch is in effect for Saturday, with a chance of thunderstorms in the mountain and deserts beginning Sunday.

Storms could drift across the mountains into inland areas early next week.

In a Friday posting on the AccuWeather Web site, senior meteorologist Brett Anderson predicted that very hot, excessively dry weather would likely continue to fuel numerous wildfires across the West, “but there is some hope for relief by early next week.”

He said a disturbance in Mexico was likely to track inland across northern Mexico and spread Gulf moisture this weekend, which would lead to numerous thunderstorms in that region.

“Thunderstorm activity will be limited by the time moisture reaches the southwestern United States, but this moisture will increase relative humidity over the region, which could help slow the advance of fires Monday and Tuesday,” Anderson said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Hotline phone numbers for fire information
July 14, 7:24 p.m.
(909) 881-6949

881-6950

881-6951

-- The Desert Sun

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Map of the fire
July 14, 6:56 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Photos of reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Omar Ornelas
July 14, 6:53 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire photos
July 14, 6:50 p.m.












<

-- The Desert Sun

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Another briefing at Yucca Valley High School
July 14, 6:38 p.m.
The next briefing at Yucca Valley High School for information regarding the wildfire will be at 8 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire now one, with two names still
July 14, 6:18 p.m.
The 63,000-acre fire still hasn't been renamed.

The Sawtooth and Millard fires merged about 3 p.m. today.

-- The Desert Sun

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Pipes Canyon on Friday
July 14, 6:15 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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S.B. County officials survey damage in the Morongo Valley
July 14, 6:02 p.m.
San Bernardino County officials are trying to pinpoint just how much damage the fires have caused, though the cost of all the homes, cars, and property won’t be known next week at the earliest.

A code enforcement officer, fire investigator and an assessor’s office representative are walking through scorched areas, using GPS tracking to try and figure out what properties were damaged.

The crew identified another five properties in Pioneertown Friday. They’ll be out all weekend, though the task of figuring out where homes were is proving difficult and time consuming.

“Right now, it’s just a burned out black piece of land,” said Assistant Assessor Jeannie Adair.

-- The Desert Sun

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A couple dozen people stayed at evac center overnight
July 14, 5:49 p.m.
Twenty-six people stayed in the shelter at Yucca Valley High School on Thursday night.

"We don't know how many will come back tonight," said Jennifer Liewer, volunteer from Phoenix who arrived in Palm Springs on Friday. She works for the public affairs division for the American Red Cross.

Hardly anyone was in the shelter as of 5 p.m. Liewer said most of the people who spend the night usually return for dinner.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fort Apache sends firefighters to Sawtooth
July 14, 5:46 p.m.
The reservation in Fort Apache, Ariz., sent two crews of 20 firefighters to Sawtooth on Thursday night -- Fort Apache Southwest Firefighters. One crew is fighting the fire today. The other crew's bus didn't pass inspection to go farther up the mountain and closer to the flames, and members are sleeping in tents on the baseball field at Yucca Valley High School.

The crews will be there 14-21 days. They will take turns grabbing R&R.

-- The Desert Sun

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Latest statistics for Millard and Sawtooth fires
July 14, 5:41 p.m.
Sawtooth:
53,000 acres burned.
38 houses destroyed.
8 house damaged.
8 garages destroyed.
1 garage damaged.
108 outbuildings destroyed.
1 damaged.
122 vehicles destroyed.
2 RVs destroyed.
15 trailers destroyed.
2 railcars destroyed.
7 tractors destroyed.

Sawtooth resources:
181 engines.
62 hand crews.
18 dozers.
13 helicopters.
10 tankers.
5 fixed wing aircraft.
20 water tenders.
1,979 firefighters, of which 850 are inmates.
The Desert Sun

Millard:
8,300 acres scorched.
789 firefighting personnel.
No reported injuries or property damage.

-- The Desert Sun

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Governor will visit Yucca Valley High School on Saturday morning
July 14, 5:38 p.m.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will stop by Yucca Valley High School at 7 a.m. Saturday to chat with firefighters and receive a briefing.

-- The Desert Sun

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Hot spots put out in Pioneertown
July 14, 5:26 p.m.
At about 4:30 p.m., residents reported hot spots near homes in the 5600 block of Roy Rogers Road in Pioneertown.

Firefighters got to the scene and put those spots out.

-- The Desert Sun

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Spots fires put out in Pioneertown
July 14, 5:18 p.m.
At about 4:30 p.m., residents reported hot spots near homes in the 5600 block of Roy Rogers Road in Pioneertown.

Firefighters got to the scene and put those spots out.

-- The Desert Sun

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Volunteers search for missing 57-year-old
July 14, 5:08 p.m.
About 20 volunteers are searching today for Gerald “Jerry” Guthrie of Pioneertown, who hasn’t been seen since Tuesday’s evacuation.

The 57-year-old white man is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, with black shoulder-length hair and a beard and moustache. He lives on Pioneertown Road.

“We’ve been up there looking for him Tuesday and quite a few times after that,” San Bernardino Sheriff’s spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire said.

Guthrie’s wife, Margo, filed a missing person’s report late Thursday.

Crews will search until dark. If he is not found, a search-and-rescue team will broaden the search area on horseback tomorrow.

-- The Desert Sun

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Reps. Bono and Lewis have helped in fire prevention
July 14, 5:06 p.m.
Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, has worked closely with Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, to secure funding for fire prevention in Southern California in recent years.

This year, the House Interior Appropriations bill includes about $17.5 million for fire suppression efforts in the area, including $10 million for fire prevention in the San Bernardino National Forest, according to Bono's chief of staff, Frank Cullen. The bill has not yet been passed into law.

Congress passed legislation, called the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, in 2003 after dramatic wildfires to reduce fire danger by thinning thinning federal forests.

Lewis secured $500 million for forests in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties that year through the act for disaster relief and firefighting efforts, among other things.

Lewis also secured an additional $30 million in 2003 through an emergency spending bill to fight a bark beetle infestation that was plaguing Southern California.

In 2004, Lewis also secured an additional $10 million for tree removal in Southern California.
Cullen said Bono supported Lewis efforts.

"It’s something they’re continuing to work on," said Cullen, who noted that Bono has met with emergency officials to discuss the threat of wildfires in the area. "It continues to be a priority for Mary Bono."

-- The Desert Sun

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Assistance center will be opened
July 14, 5:04 p.m.
A local assistance center up will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. County agencies and the American Red Cross will be there helping those impacted by the Sawtooth and Millard Complex fires.

The event is at the Yucca Valley Community Center, 57090 Twentynine Palms Highway in Yucca Valley

-- The Desert Sun

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Second jogger warned, not arrested
July 14, 4:32 p.m.
The second jogger made it over the ridge line and into the heart of the fire.

He was being detained by firefighters as sheriff's deputies awaited clearance to go in, Detective Randy Warfield said.

The jogger will be warned as he owns a cabin across the ridge line and had not been warned.

"He was just being stupid," he said. "We'll take him out, give him a warning and tell him if ever comes back in, he will be arrested."

-- The Desert Sun

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One small fire burned in area a month ago
July 14, 4:22 p.m.
A 300-acre fire burned in the S.B. National Forest burned about a month ago.

That path of the Arrastre Fire will provide a slight firebreak for the Sawtooth fire.

"The forest has a lot of small fires. Typically fires don't gain a lot of steam because of the terrain and the wind patterns," said U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller.

Firefighters are foaming homes near Onyx Summit, which near the firebreak firefighters have created east of Highway 38. That foam will provide extra protection and slow the fire down.

"Rather than just sitting, we've been taking a pro-active approach. You have the crews ready. You may as well use them," he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth and Millard fires have merged
July 14, 4:18 p.m.
The merge occurred about 3 p.m. near Mission Creek.

That southwestern portion is burning southeast toward Mission Creek.

The northwestern portion is still burning toward Highway 38 and the Big Bear area.

-- The Desert Sun

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Ashes are falling in Big Bear
July 14, 4:16 p.m.
"OK, now I'm getting a little more worried," said Angela Moritz of Four Paws N' Tail.

"I just went out to take a look at the smoke and ashes a half-inch in size are starting to fall out of the sky. Ashes could mean that embers are not far behind. That's why I'm here to watch my property and to keep an extra eye out for my Big Bear Community."

-- The Desert Sun

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One jogger detained; another nearly detained
July 14, 4:12 p.m.
It wasn't just one jogger. Two young joggers ran toward the backfire.

A sheriff's deputy has detained him.

They no longer need to jog. They'll get a nice ride in a sheriff's car.

Huge dancing flames of orange along the ridge.

It's like you're watching a movie in letterbox format.

-- The Desert Sun

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CDF's objectives for Sawtooth Complex Fire
July 14, 4:07 p.m.
Objectives from 10 p.m. Thursday:

• Provide for firefighter safety
• Provide for public safety and property protection
• Keep the fire north of Riv. Co. line
• Keep the fire northwest of Hwy 62
• Keep the fire south of Gamma Gulch and Pipes Canyon Road
• Keep the fire east of the Pacific Crest Trail

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth Complex Fire meetings scheduled
July 14, 4:00 p.m.
Briefings are scheduled:

Strategy meeting right now.

Planning meeting at 5 p.m. at Yucca Valley High School.

Incident action plan due at 7 p.m.

Command and general staff meet at 7 p.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear residents confident in evacuation plan
July 14, 3:50 p.m.
Residents in Big Bear Lake are confident because the 2003 evacuation went well. The area did not burn, but the Old Fire that fall focused more on the Lake Arrowhead area.

-- The Desert Sun

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Jogger runs toward fire in Morongo Valley
July 14, 3:48 p.m.
From reporter Keith Matheny:

There's a jogger in no shirt and just running shorts jogging up the bulldozer line and toward the fire. Firefighters are chasing him, but seem to have lost him. He may have ducked into some brush.

-- The Desert Sun

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Some mountain areas have no burn history
July 14, 3:46 p.m.
Firefighters are concerned about the tinder-dry mountains that have been wrought with drought and bark-beetle infestation.

The drought of the late 1990s have left many dead trees up there for nearly a decade. Those are perfect fuel for a monstrous fire that has not let up so far.

Some of the areas have no burn history. In other words, no one knows when they last burned. It could have taken place long before records were kept.

Fires are natural to mountain ecology, so they do happen from time to time. When it hasn't occurred for a while, it's logical to assume there's plenty of fuel for the fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Evacuees, residents thank firefighters
July 14, 3:32 p.m.
Evacuees and others affected by the wildfires are finding ways to thank those who are fighting these blazes.

A sign posted along a fence bordering “Tent City,” where some of the state prisoners trained to fight wildfires are staying, at Yucca Valley High School read:

“You’re in our prayers. Thank You. We believe in you!”

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire officials focus on protecting populated mountain communities
July 14, 3:32 p.m.
Bulldozer operators have been urgently digging lines in the forest that would complement Highway 38 as a firebreak. Firefighters could then work from the break to prevent the fire from burning toward mountain communities suc as Big Bear City, Lake Williams and Barton Flats.

At higher elevation, a bark-beetle infestation and drought has resulted in massive amounts of tinder-like fuel in the form of huge, dead trees.

In fall 2003, the Old Fire ripped through mountain communities such as Cedar Glen, providing a glimpse of what could be in store if the firefighters can’t stop the Sawtooth and Millard fires.

That fire scorched about 100,000 acres and burned nearly 1,000 homes.

-- The Desert Sun

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Skies getting darker at Big Bear Lake
July 14, 3:27 p.m.
"This afternoon the skies got real dark brown and orange," said Roger Culbertson, former chairman of the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce, from his cabin on Big Bear Lake.

This is the fourth fire that has threatened his area in the 20 years he has spent in Big Bear.
"People are fairly used to it," he said. "We are watching with guarded optimism."

The smoke, he said at 3:10 p.m., is "well over the east end of the lake. It looks pretty ominous."

Culbertson has checked the house for valuables and is ready to grab things if he needs to evacuate. He's surrounded by pine trees and oak trees and is about 200 yards from the lake.
"If it (the fire) comes in here, it will be via the pine tops," he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Aircraft drops focus on a couple fire locations
July 14, 3:26 p.m.
Firefighters are concentrating water and retardant drops between the fireline and the northwest firebreak.

They're also dropping where the fires are close to merging.

-- The Desert Sun

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More strategy in the mountains
July 14, 3:23 p.m.
More importantly, firefighters hope the weather cooperates with their efforts.

The fire forecast Friday called for 20-mph gusts blowing southwest on ridge tops. It also called for temperatures as high as 88 degrees at 6,000 feet and up to 100 degrees at 3,200 feet.

Since the effort is aimed at stopping a northwest-moving fire, winds in the opposite direction are considered a good thing.

“It gives us a chance to aggressively attack the fire,” said Veronica Magnuson, another forest service spokesperson.

The incident action plan update for Friday called for firefighters to prepare Rattlesnake Road, a remote, unpaved road in the mountains, for “firing.”

That means they intend to set backfires that will reduce fuel availability for the main blaze.
The plan also called for the removal of overhanging vegetation along fire breaks.

-- The Desert Sun

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Desert Sun reporter: Found shade, cold water would be nice
July 14, 3:18 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

"I've found some much needed shade under the canopy of an old shack. I'm leaning against a roll of chicken wire fencing, my aching legs getting their first load off in hours.

Note to self: Next time bring sunscreen, lip balm and two dozen more bottles of water. I'm drinking my last swig of coffee-warm H2O now. Believe it or not, in these cases, you look forward to it."

-- The Desert Sun

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Air, bulldozer assault holding steady
July 14, 3:18 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

About 60 firefighters await deployment should the air drops and bulldozers prove less effective.

"What's most important is when you have the air resources and ground resources working together. That's when they're most effective."

About a dozen or more firefighters are nearby in case they're needed.

On the east side of the Sawtooth fire, a structure may have burned in Gamma Gulch. But it's unconfirmed, says Glenn Barley, CDF spokesman.

-- The Desert Sun

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Strategy near Highway 38 set
July 14, 3:12 p.m.
Firefighters battling the nation’s larges fires, which have already charred more than 60,000 acres, want Highway 38 and a bulldozer line in the San Bernardino National Forest to be their lines in the sand.

On Friday, more than 2,000 firefighters and dozens of aircraft joined forces with bulldozers and water tenders in an effort to stop two wildfires short of mountain communities in the national forest.

“The San Bernardino National (Forest) Onyx contingency group is prepping Highway 38 in case it heads in that direction,” California Department of Forestry Battalion Chief Phil Veneris said during a morning briefing for firefighters.

The merging of the 53,000-acre Sawtooth fire and the 8,200-acre Millard fire has been the subject of much attention. But U.S. Forest Service spokesman Chris Stith said fire strategists are factoring the merger into their plans.

“At this point, it is not a real big deal,” he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Bulldozers helping hand crews clear brush to help backburn
July 14, 3:11 p.m.
Despite the appearance of bulldozers driving practically vertical, they are safe, said Glenn Barley, PIO for CDF.

"They can actually making a pretty steep slope; when they're moving up and down like they are now, it's not that bad.

"The danger is when they gets sideways."

The bulldozers are plowing a brush-free line along the mountain ridge along the south to hold the controlled fire to that point.

"It appears to be going well," Barley said. "They put in a better line than the hand crews can in a much shorter time."

-- The Desert Sun

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Ed Kibbey ready to evacuate Big Bear if need be
July 14, 3:05 p.m.
Ed Kibbey, former executive director of the desert chapter of the Building Industry Association, said around 2:55 p.m. that he was watching the smoke start to billow over his Big Bear cabin.

"There's a real dark brown smoke," he said. "This is the first time the smoke is over us."

He said a meeting for residents in Big Bear last night indicated there wasn't a threat to the town unless the winds change.

When the Old Fire occurred in fall 2003, Kibbey he said he and his wife Heidrum evacuated and will do the same if the Sawtooth Fire reaches them.

"I am not concerned at the moment, but I am very watchful," he said. "If we have to evacuate, we will."

-- The Desert Sun

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Marriott helping out firefighters
July 14, 3:05 p.m.
Three Marriott hotels in the Coachella Valley have opened their doors to firefighters and displaced families at a significantly discounted price.

Firefighters have booked around 140 rooms at the Residence Inn Marriott and the Courtyard Marriot in Palm Desert and the Courtyard Marriott in Palm Springs.

"These guys are able to come down here, relax, get away from it, breathe, and then go back up refreshed and take care of business," said Scott Blaul, general manager of the Residence Inn.

The hotels are also offering free breakfast for firefighters.

-- The Desert Sun

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Weather will remain hot for the firefighters
July 14, 3:00 p.m.
Weather continues to be a factor, especially as the wild fires create their own weather systems.

Temperatures in Yucca Valley are 103 degrees with 18 percent humidity right now.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive Heat Watch for Saturday.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Indio mayor on his way to Big Bear
July 14, 3:00 p.m.
About 2:45 p.m., Indio Mayor Gene Gilbert was on his way to his cabin in Big Bear to check on his property.

"The last I heard, there's no problem in the Big Bear area," said Gilbert, who hadn't planned to head to Big Bear this weekend.

Right now, Gilbert said he feels "comfortable," but there's a lot of smoke on his way there.
Gilbert was in Big Bear for the Old Fire and he remembers staying up all night and watching the news for updates.

-- The Desert Sun

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CDF officials in Sacramento plan to visit fires
July 14, 2:44 p.m.
The director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Ruben Grijalva, is heading to the Sawtooth Fire either late tonight or tomorrow, according to the department’s Sacramento spokesman Michael Jarvis.

Grijalva has been at the Canyon Fire in Stanislaus County today.

Other operations and communications officials from Sacramento are also flying to Southern California to provide support for the on-scene crews.

-- The Desert Sun

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P.S. resident headed to Big Bear
July 14, 2:38 p.m.
Rod Thomas, manager of Toyota of the Desert in Cathedral City, said at 2:40 p.m. he would be going to Big Bear tomorrow to check on his property, which he has had for a year.

The Palm Springs resident said he talked to some Big Bear neightbors who had an evacuation meeting last night.

"No one is overly terrified," he said. "Not yet."

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear not threatened at this moment
July 14, 2:37 p.m.
There is no immediate threat to Big Bear right now, though variable winds have brought a lot of dead pink smoke into the Big Bear Valley, officials in Big Bear say.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Big Bear appears 'Napalm orange'
July 14, 2:30 p.m.
"It looks like Halloween cast over here," said Angela Moritz from her home in Big Bear.

Moritz, who owns Four Paws and Tail in Palm Desert, said she has been watching the sky turn a bright orange over the past few minutes.

"It looks like Napalm Orange," she said.

Moritz owns a 4-acre ranch in Big Bear, where she has three horses, eight standard poodles, 2 Burnese mountain dogs, one labrador, four papilions, four cats and a ferret. And a husband, Kenneth Shoner.

She said she bought the ranch so she could breed poodles and now "I am freaked out. It's my first official summer here and I am worried about the biggest fire in California."

She said she purchased a generator to run her well until firefighters kick her out -- if it comes to that. She also loaded up on groceries at the store. The horse trailer is ready to go and things are packed in case she has to evacuate. Neighbors are clearing brush and she can hear chainsaws.

"Everyone is buckling down," she said.

The scariest thing, though, is the sky.

This morning the clouds were high with white smoke. Now it looks like the fire is changing and "it doesn't look good."

-- The Desert Sun

---

Air attack continues while firefighters wait
July 14, 2:28 p.m.
The helicopters are making a continual attack.

The fixed-wing that just came through appeared "so close you could throw a rock at it."

About 50 to 60 hotshots, firefighters and firefighting inmates are waiting for further assignments at that location.

-- The Desert Sun

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Backburn, bulldozers used to fight fire in Morongo Valley
July 14, 2:23 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

From Matheny: The ridge line is on fire from a backburn that firefighters have created in Morongo Valley.

Bulldozers are creating a firebreak up in the impossibly steep ridge. So far, it appears to be working.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Flare-up occurs in Morongo Valley
July 14, 2:20 p.m.
There is a report of a flare-up along Hill Avenue at Mojave Drive, several blocks from where Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Omar Ornelas are. Firefighters are rushing to the area.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Reporters hanging with hotshots
July 14, 2:18 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

"I'm where the hotshots are watching the aerial show in front of me," Matheny said.

"It's a weird scene here. The sky behind me to the southeast is blue.

The sky to the northwest "is what I imagine armageddon day would look like."

Around him is burned landscape, a good sign for Morongo Valley because there's little fuel left for the Sawtooth Complex Fire.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Warnings and a few evacuations have taken place near Big Bear
July 14, 2:16 p.m.
Camp Oakes on Wednesday had evacuated about 200 children on their own to other campsites further from there.

County sheriff's officials warned about 100 homes in the Lake Williams area on Thursday.

During the Old Fire of October 2003, about 40,000 people were urged to evacuate.

This all according to Sheri Haggerty, PIO of the city of Big Bear.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Warnings and a few evacuations have taken place near Big Bear
July 14, 2:15 p.m.
Camp Oakes on Wednesday had evacuated about 200 children on their own to other campsites further from there.

County sheriff's officials warned about 100 homes in the Lake Williams area on Thursday.

During the Old Fire of October 2003, about 40,000 people were urged to evacuate.

This all according to Sheri Haggerty, PIO of the city of Big Bear.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Big Bear officials not too concerned
July 14, 2:10 p.m.
Big Bear officials are not as concerned about the fire as they were on Thursday. It's about 3.5 miles from Onyx Peak, the highest peak, and 6 miles from Lake Williams.

The smoke is intensifying in Big Bear.

On Wednesday, residents of Erwin Lake were advised they could have to evacuate if the fires moved their way.

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear resident now sees black areas in half the sky
July 14, 2:05 p.m.
Part-time Big Bear and Palm Desert resident Wick Phillips now says the "sky is now no longer blue with white smoke ... it is orange/brown with black areas and has increased to nearly half the sky ... wind maybe changing to more southerly ... oh,oh."

-- The Desert Sun

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Map of where Desert Sun reporter and photographer are
July 14, 2:04 p.m.
Here's where Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Omar Ornelas are located in Morongo Valley.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Coachella Valley resident watches from Big Bear
July 14, 2:01 p.m.
Wick Phillips, who owns homes in Palm Desert and Big Bear, said from Big Bear that it is starting to look "much worse to the southwest ... fire clouds are much higher, darker and more defined ... almost black looking over Onyx Summit and my wife thinks it's the worst it's looked yet ... getting worse rapidly in last 10 minutes but wind does not seem to have changed much here ...m ust be something dramatic going on at Millard fire?"

-- The Desert Sun

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Matheny, Ornelas move closer to the fire
July 14, 1:59 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

Matheny and Ornelas have now move onto Adeline Way in Morongo Valley.

"We are much closer to the fire," Matheny said.

From there, he is watching as huge aircraft help splash retardant on the ridge several football fields away.

Omar Ornelas is getting as close as he can for photos while Matheny has moved his car so that it's facing the right direction to escape as needed.

-- The Desert Sun

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Here's a closer look at retardant
July 14, 1:54 p.m.
That red stuff helicopters are dropping on the out-of-control blaze 20 miles from Palm springs is called PhosCheck. It’s made by ICL at a plant in Ontario.

Here’s what’s in it: mostly water, ammonium sulfate and phosphate (which causes a chemical reaction to lower the temperature of the combustion)and red coloring (so firefighters can see where the substance has dropped).

“We call it long-term fire because the retardant capability is persistent up to months after,” said Dan Lang, chief of fire chemicals with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in Davis.

“It remains in effect until it’s washed off by rainfall.”

The red dye fades over time with sunlight exposure.

The retardant has the consistency of “thin mud.” Firefighters drop between 1,200 and 3,000 gallons, depending on the aircraft, and costs about $1 a gallon.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire appears to be intensifying
July 14, 1:48 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

“The ridge fire immediately in front of me definitely seems to be intensifying. I can see flames,” Reporter Keith Matheny reported at 1:38 p.m.

“They’ve come over the eastern side of the ridge. And they are large. We’re still at Paradise Avenue, probably a quarter to a half-mile west of it. I can see them moving in a wave in front of me. They just poke through every so often from the big, billowing clouds of smoke. These are the first flames we’ve seen on the eastern side of this ridgeline They’re definitely getting bigger as I watch them. They wanted to do this, though. As scary as it looks, this is part of the plan.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Unknown if fires have merged
July 14, 1:45 p.m.
Officials believe the Sawtooth and Millard fires are still separated, although they can’t really tell.

Authorities can’t tell from the air because at last check there was too much smoke over the area where they are expected to merge.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Firefighters have a couple firebreaks before fire nears Big Bear
July 14, 1:42 p.m.
Fire officials are using bulldozers to create a firebreak between Rose Mine and Deer Spring, about 2 1/2 miles from Big Bear.

The firebreak appears to be one of the last lines of defense before the fire ends up at Highway 38, which will also serve as a firebreak before Big Bear, Baldwin Lake and other populated mountain communities.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire 6 miles from Lake Williams
July 14, 1:17 p.m.
The town of Big Bear continues to prepare for the merging of the Sawtooth Complex and Millard fires.

City officials were briefed at an Emergency Operations Venter by the CDF and fire officials from Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City and San Bernardino County at noon. The direction of the fire is heading away from the valley and remains 6 miles from Lake Williams.

No evacuations have been ordered, and no roads have been closed.

There is no immediate threat to Big Bear. But due to the steep terrain of the area, the Forest Service is continuing an aggressive defense, according to Public Information Officer, Cheri Haggerty.

The containment line that was bulldozed yesterday has been extended from behind Lake Williams, and continues though Broom Flat to the Rose Mine area to serve as a wide break should fire directions change.

The Mountain Mutual Aid Task Force has been in constant communication since the fires started.

"One of the things we learned from previous fires is the need for communication," Haggerty said.

The task force, which consists of all valley emergency response units, hospitals, school districts and utilities, was created several years ago for times like these.

"Right from the get go," Haggerty said, "we have an established emergency center that keeps the lines of communication open between CDF, forest services and us locally."

-- The Desert Sun

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'The heat is oppressive'
July 14, 1:12 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:





As firefighters continue to set controlled “back fires” near where Matheny and Ornelas are in Morongo Valley, “the sky is definitely smoke…and the heat is oppressive,” Matheny said at 1:07 p.m.

“I think it’s heat from just the sun and not so much from the flames. I can only imagine what it’s like for the hotshots (elite corps of firefighters) in there. We see fire trucks going in and (California and U.S.) forest service crews. The flyovers are incessant right now.”

From where they stand, Matheny says he can spot some nervous residents in the Paradise Avenue area.

“This fire is less than a half-mile from home along the Paradise Avenue area. I see a lot of people who look like they’re ready to go, but they’re still around. I think many of them are old hats with brush fires and don’t get too scared. We’re a bit removed from it right now. But they tell us that this whole ridgeline very close to us will go up as (firefighters) continue to set the back fires. We’re going to stick around.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire officials: Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs not in danger
July 14, 1:02 p.m.
During a noon briefing at the Sawtooth command post at Yucca Valley High School, officials said they believe there is no imminent danger of the fire turning toward Desert Hot Springs or Palm Springs.

“It’s going in a northwest direction and the reason it’s going in that direction is because it’s following the vegetation – it’s following the vegetation that’s fueling it,” said Rick Vogt, with the San Marcos Fire Department, a spokesman at the Sawtooth command post. “Wind is not a factor in the direction of the fire.”

“We’re prepared to move engines and air support toward Big Bear,” said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

-- The Desert Sun

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Back fires set near where blazes are close to meeting
July 14, 1:01 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

Matheny said at 1 p.m. that firefighters are trying to combat the approaching fire by setting “back fires.”

“The fire that we’re looking at -- the big billowing clouds of smoke directly in front of us -- is a burn operation by the firefighters. They’re trying to set fire all along the entire western edge of a ridgeline in order to meet the eastward spreading flames of the Millard fire, I believe.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire heading northwest toward populated communities
July 14, 12:53 p.m.
The Sawtooth and Millard fires are very close to merging and are heading northwest, according to officials at the command post at Yucca Valley High School and Desert Sun journalists with firefighters.

If that combined. larger fire continues farther northwest into the San Bernardino National Forest, it will encounter many unpopulated areas marked by treacherous terrain and tinder-dry forest before it reaches the communities of Barton Flats and Lake Williams along Highway 38.

Beyond that are Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake, a populated tourist resort of many summer residents, and Baldwin Lake.

Between most of these communities and the fire is a natural firebreak in the form of Highway 38.

Firefighters in the Old Fire of October 2003 used Highway 18 as a natural firebreak and last firefighting stand between that fire and Lake Arrowhead. The fire jumped that highway and burned into Lake Arrowhead and surrounding areas.

Old Fire consumed 100,000 acres and 1,000 homes.

Highway 38 can be used in the same manner, with firefighters trying to use it to save those populated communities.

-- The Desert Sun

---

No smoke, ash in Big Bear this hour
July 14, 12:47 p.m.
A Big Bear resident has reported that there is no smoke in the area this noon hour. "There's no smoke and no ash," he said. "You can see smoke about 10 miles away though."

-- The Desert Sun

---

Fire 'really spreading fast'
July 14, 12:45 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

Matheny and Ornelas have not moved forward from their spot in the Morongo Valley because of increased concerns about the raging wildfires that are moving through the area.

In a 12:45 p.m. call, Matheny said, “Where we are standing is where the Sawtooth and Millard fires are coming together. That’s the area nearest to us. They’re not yet taking us in because that’s one of the most dangerous areas of the fire, where it’s really spreading fast.”

Matheny said flames aren’t yet visible, but there’s lots of smoke. “You can see an area where it’s catching some fuel and it appears to be billowing.”

-- The Desert Sun

---

Paradise fire survivor looks on at two fires approaching
July 14, 12:43 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are in the Morongo Valley where the growing Sawtooth and Millard fires are expected to merge and become one mega-blaze. Here is their latest dispatch:

In a 12:40 p.m. call, Matheny said some homeowners are poised to evacuate as the fire moves closer.

Bill Lingley, stood on a ridge overlooking his Paradise Avenue home and neighborhood in Morongo Valley. Nearby were charred remnants of June 2005’s Paradise fire. On the horizon, this year’s monster is looming.

“We were told to evacuate (Wednesday night),” Lingley said. “Most of us have everything ready to go.”

Lingley was not worried about the imminent danger to his neighborhood from the fire, but noted that the area is known for swirling winds.

“I’m not going to be stupid, he says. “We’re loaded up. All we got to do is start the car and we’re gone.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Tracking the fires: I’m looking down on the fire
July 14, 12:11 p.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny is phoning in updates as he and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas move closer to where the Sawtooth and Millard fires are about the merge and become one mega blaze. Read his latest accounts below...



“My phone signal is getting a bit sketchy. I have to crouch down by my tires to get phone service. Standing up makes me lose it,” Matheny said around noon today.

“But we’ve gone to the top of the bluff and are looking down. Although the fire is still obscured by one ridge, there’s smoke all along the ridgeline. We’re going to get closer in a minute. We’re on an elevated area in Little Morongo looking down on the fire. The Millard fire appears to be just one ridgeline away from the Sawtooth.

Planes and helicopters are buzzing the area, Matheny says. It’s a high-flying ballet, he described.

“I see four helicopters in the sky (and) large airplanes swooping in and dropping retardant. It almost looks like a ballet, the way one swoops in and then swoops out and the other swoops in. It almost reminds you of vultures over a carcass, circling. You see then in a slow circle over the area of the fire, a number of them.”

Matheny says he and Ornelas cannot yet see fire, but it’s coming.

“We cannot see flames where we are, the smell actually isn’t that bad where we are. The wind appears to be taking the smoke away from us. We’re gong to try to get closwer. I’m looking at the face of the ridgeline that’s … not ablaze, but it’s charred black as though it was. I’m not scared. Not at all. We’re pretty far away right now. We’re on a ridgeline that’s far away, we see road that will take us closer. We’re going to work on that.”

The temperature is rising at the scene of the fire. “It’s real hot,” Matheny said. “I’m not wearing a helmet yet, but we’re gong to need them.”

The wind doesn’t appear to be a factor right now. “It’s gusting a little bit, but it’s probably only around 10 mph.”

Matheny said he has spotted a neighborhood in the area where people and animals are visible.

“We have seen cars. One ranch had a number of horses out in their pen. We didn’t see any people there, it just appears there are people still around. There are a couple guys on this ridge who don’t appear to be with the fire department. I’m going to go talk to them now. Listen to this..."

(Matheny holds the phone in the air.)

"The planes are coming right over our heads. It’s amazing.”

-- The Desert Sun

---

Updated details on fire to come shortly
July 14, 12:05 p.m.
A press conference is under way at the command post at Yucca Valley High School. The briefing started at noon.

Check back for details. We'll be posting as soon as possible.

-- The Desert Sun

---

They've been fighting fires for a week
July 14, 11:58 a.m.
The week for Strike Team 9240C started Saturday hundreds of miles to the north in remote Lassen County.

By this morning, the team’s leader, Battalion Chief Tim McCammon of the California Department of Forestry’s Shasta-Trinity unit, had to double-check the day.

If it was Friday, it was the desert and the Sawtooth Complex fire raging in the hills above it.

McCammon’s 16-man strike team had been on the road and on the fire lines nearly nonstop since pulling out of its Shasta County base seven days and more than 650 miles ago.

The crew was getting a little rest and a hard-earned breakfast Friday morning at a Carrows restaurant in Palm Springs.

“Last Saturday, we went from Shasta to (a fire in) Lassen County. After that, we thought we were going home,” McCammon said.

Then came Tuesday and a another blaze, this time at Lake Comanche in the Mother Lode county of Amador. Then another call. Go to the Sawtooth fire.

“(Thursday) at 7 a.m., we were here.”

“Here” for McCammon was rugged Burns Canyon beyond Pioneertown. Some homes were lost, he said, but his crew and the other firefighters there were able to beat back the flames and save many other homes.

The chief talked with pride of his young crew — many in their early 20s.

“These kids, give ‘em five hours of sleep and they’re ready to go. It’s a good group of folks, good kids.”

McCammon expected Strike Team 9240C to stay in the field for another two to three days, but from there?

“Wherever they send us.”

-- The Desert Sun

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'Business as usual' in Big Bear for marina director
July 14, 11:49 a.m.
David Neitzke, director of operations for Pleasure Point Marina in Big Bear, said this morning that his business has lost a couple of weekend reservations from people concerned about a possible fire in the area.

But Neitzke said his local fire department is telling residents that the fire is not heading toward them.

"It's business as usual," said Neitzke. "I'm just running the business."

Meanwhile, Neitzke said he does have brush cleared around his Big Bear home and if the fire does approach close enough that people would be asked to evacuate, he would stay and send his wife Liz down the mountain.

"I'm gonna stay," he said. "Because of the marina. I'd want to keep water on the marina."

While smoke is covering the Big Bear area and temperatures are in the mid-70s, Neitzke said the fire is not a big topic of conversation.

"People are going on with their business," he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Journalists on the front line
July 14, 11:47 a.m.
Pictured here are Desert Sun journalists on the edge of where the Sawtooth Complex and Millard fires are about to meet

Photographer Jose Omar Ornelas


Reporter Keith Matheny

-- The Desert Sun

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Journalists where the blazes are about to merge
July 14, 11:40 a.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are poised to hit the front lines of the about-to-merge Sawtooth and Millard fires that are raging north of Palm Springs.

“There are two plumes of smoke directly in front of me,” Matheny reported at 11:36 a.m. from Canyon House Road and Juniper Avenue in Morongo Valley. “The one to the left is Millard and the one to the right is the Sawtooth. These two fires are extremely close together. I cannot see the flames where we right now, but as soon as we can go a bit further, there no doubt will be. It’s clearly burning very strongly.

“There are airplanes and helicopters coming in on an almost continual loop, making drops of fire retardant on the fire. They are coming in one after another. It’s pretty impressive, watching how they are swooping in. It’s like they are just over the top of the hills.”

Smoke is everywhere, Matheny reports.

“It’s not super-smoky compared to things I’ve smelled earlier today in Yucca Valley, but that’s about to change.”

Matheny and Ornelas are accompanied by forestry officials.

“It’s just us and two (California Department of Forestry) trucks awaiting to take us to it,” Matheny said. “We’re ready. We’re gong to be taken where the firefighters are. We’re in our gear – similar to what a firefighter wears. It’s a fire-retardant jacket and pants with helmets and goggles. It’s well over 100 degrees and getting hotter and we’re not even closer to the fire yet. It’s already sweltering.”

Matheny said the air is acrid.

“You cannot keep saliva in your mouth. We’re sweating so much. It makes you wonder how (firefighters) do it by carrying 50-100 pounds of stuff. There are more helicopters. Wait, they’re coming for us. Let me call later.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Press Conference
July 14, 11:20 a.m.
A press conference updating fire conditions is scheduled for noon today.

Look for updates on thedesertsun.com.

-- The Desert Sun

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Reporters heading to fire edge
July 14, 11:17 a.m.
Desert Sun reporter Keith Matheny and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are on their way to the southern flank of the Sawtooth fire.

Firefighters in this area jsut West of Morongo Valley have bulldozed a line in an effort to supress the fire.

Check back here for more updates of Matheny and Ornelas's experiences at the fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth and Millard commanders meeting
July 14, 11:10 a.m.
Commanders and staff from both Sawtooth and Millard firefighting crews are meeting face-to-face late this morning to discuss a shared strategy.

For the safety of everyone involved and the effectiveness of the operation, the command teams are confering to make sure their attack strategies do not overlap and to maintain separate aircraft boundaries.

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard cost
July 14, 10:59 a.m.
The cost to fight the Millard fire is estimated at $2.5 million.

The blaze is still estimated to span 8,200 acres and remains 5 percent contained.

-- The Desert Sun

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Smoke rolling across the sky on Thursday
July 14, 10:48 a.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Tracking the fire: Fires will merge today
July 14, 10:46 a.m.
The growing Sawtooth Complex and Millard fires will merge today, an on-the-scene information officer just told The Desert Sun.

“The probability of the fires merging today is near certain,” John Miller, a public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, told reporter Keith Matheny from a staging area in Yucca Valley at 10:45 a.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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Gaining control
July 14, 10:45 a.m.
Maps in the Sawtooth fire command center indicate firefighters feel they’re gaining control of the blaze on its northern and eastern edges.

The fire continues to spread to the West and toward the Millard Complex Fire.

Officials still estimate containment at 20 percent.

-- The Desert Sun

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Hotshots staying in
July 14, 10:44 a.m.
There is a 99 percent chance that the Hotshot crews will not be going out as planned today because fire behavior has become extremely erratic in that area, said Forest Service Information Officer Dee Dechert.

-- The Desert Sun

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Two high-tech helicopters provide reconnaissance
July 14, 10:39 a.m.
A second AH1 Cobra helicopter will join the aerial arsenal today.

Both Cobras are expected to arrive at Banning Airport by noon.

These high-tech helicopters provide live video of the fires to commanders on the ground and allow them to see through the thick smoke.

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth costs reach $6 million
July 14, 10:30 a.m.
The cost to fight the Sawtooth Complex Fire has reached a total of $6 million, according to fire officials at the command post at Yucca Valley High School.

-- The Desert Sun

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10:20 a.m.: Fires half-mile apart
July 14, 10:29 a.m.
The growing Millard and Sawtooth fires remain about a half-mile apart, a top fire official told The Desert Sun around 10:20 a.m. today.

“Obviously, we’re in some pretty smoky conditions,” Glenn Barley, public information officer for California Department of Forestry told reporter Keith Matheny. “It’s going to be difficult for aircraft to know what’s going on out there. Firefighters are still working to build a perimeter around the more active west end of the Sawtooth blaze.”

Barley said firefighters may use infrared technology to determine if the two fires have merged.

Progress is being made on the eastern edge of the larger Sawtooth fire in Yucca Valley near Highway 247, Barley said.

“Things are looking pretty good on the east end of this fire,” he said.

Look for more updates from Matheny and Desert Sun photographer Jose Omar Ornelas, who will be joining firefighters on the front lines of the Sawtooth fire later this morning.

-- The Desert Sun

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Weather intensifies situation
July 14, 10:21 a.m.
Mother Nature is not giving firefighters a break today.

Weather conditions are exceedingly hot and dry, ingredients which meteorologists say are ideal conditions for the fires to grow.

“There’s plenty of fuel for these fires to burn,’’ said Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, Md. “The fortunate thing now is, at least through Saturday night, we don’t see a risk of thunderstorms."

Winds, which are varying in direction, are light – running primarily out of the east at 11 miles per hour or less during the day.

While that could help matters, Feltgen said the “fires are getting so strong they’re creating their own weather environment."

“Air is literally being pulled into the fire around it,’’ he said.

The National Weather Service is predicting the following weather conditions in

Yucca Valley: Mostly sunny skies with temperatures ranging from 102 to 110 degrees; with north winds at 15 miles per hour by the afternoon, switching to southwest winds at 15 miles per hour in the evening.

Cabazon: Mostly sunny skies with temperatures ranging from 112 to 118 degrees, with light winds during the day and northwest winds rising to 15 miles per hour in the evening.

-- The Desert Sun

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Airport reports flights running on time
July 14, 10:15 a.m.
Flights in and out of the Palm Springs International Airport are reportedly running on schedule despite smoke from the Sawthooth Complex fire burning in Morongo Valley.

Tim Smith, public relations officer with American Airlines headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas said this morning that today’s American Airlines flights servicing the airport were on time.

However, Vince McFarland of Canyon Travel in Palm Springs also said this morning that his schedule indicated possible delays or diversions of afternoon flights due to “low clouds and fog,” but was unclear if that meant smoke from the wildfires.

The City of Palm Springs Department of Aviation was unavailable for comment.

Travelers planning to fly in and out of the airport today should make it a point to check with their airline for the status of their flight.

More updates to come on www.thedesertsun.com

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear residents prepare for fire to come their way
July 14, 10:04 a.m.
As the residents of Big Bear look down on the plumes of smoke billowing towards their town, concern runs through their minds. The possibility of the Sawtooth Complex and Millard fires merging has whipped the community to action.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, after an early afternoon announcement, 600 to 1,000 citizens gathered for a community meeting hoping to gain some information on how their town may be preparing for disaster.

"Most people are really calm and appreciative of any information we can give them," said Big Bear Public Information Officer, Sheri Haggerty. "We do know we have no immediate evacuations," she added.

The city is encouraging residents to contact the Forest Service (909) 383-5688 where they can speak to a live person to answer any questions and to utilize the Web, where up-to-date and detailed information on the fires can be found.

The city itself is taking every precaution, however. The Forest Service completed a bulldozed contingency line behind Camp Oaks and around Lake Williams to help insure protection in the event that the fire makes its way up the mountain.

The Forest Service will be providing an update to city officials again today at noon.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires expected to grow together
July 14, 09:51 a.m.
Air-flights have confirmed that Sawtooth and Millard are still about 0.5 miles apart and officials are treating a convergence of the two fires as an inevitability.

The initial merge can be dangerous because it creates a lot of energy that causes the fire to burn hotter, faster and more erratically.

A benefit of the fires combining is the ability to also combine resources currently divided between the two blazes.

-- The Desert Sun

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Whitewater Canyon Road closed
July 14, 09:49 a.m.
Whitewater Canyon Road is closed to everyone but residents.

The fire is estimated to be about 3/4 mile above Whitewater Trout Co.

-- The Desert Sun

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Report from 'tent city': Mountains obscured by smoke
July 14, 09:42 a.m.
The Desert Sun has a reporter and a photographer poised to join firefighters at the front lines of the out-of-control Sawtooth Fire near Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley. Reporter Keith Matheny landed at Yucca Valley High School just minutes ago and he’s been overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and the rising temperature.

“It’s hot, probably over 100 degrees already,” Matheny said around 9:30 a.m.

“We’re in a staging area right now. We’re at the camp at the football field. It’s like a tent city. When you enter the Yucca Valley area, the smoke just hangs in the air. There’s no guessing what you’re smelling. It feels like you’re two feet away from a wood stove. The mountains on the horizon are completely obscured by smoke. To the west, only the foothills are visible. The sky is a dirty white.”

Matheny described the scene at Yucca Valley High School as “a little city. There are hundreds of tents, command posts, mobile homes and trailers and generators. There are people walking all over the place.”

Matheny says he and photographer Jose Omar Ornelas are eager to hit the fire scene: “I’ve been at the command post for a couple days, and while I’m getting lots of good information, I’m not seeing a lot of action.”

Look for updates from Matheny and Ornelas throughout the day at thedesertsun.com

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire statistics: 61,000 acres burned
July 14, 09:25 a.m.
Sawtooth:
53,000 acres
20 percent contained
1,980 firefighting personnel

Millard:
8,200 acres
789 firefighting personnel

-- The Desert Sun

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Local assistance center
July 14, 09:10 a.m.
A local assistance center will be set up at the Yucca Valley Community Center Saturday at 10 a.m.

State and local assistance agencies as well as the Red Cross and possibly FEMA will offer their services to fire victims.

This gives residents a chance to talk to agencies and learn about what help they are qualified to receive.

-- The Desert Sun

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Evacuation updates
July 14, 09:08 a.m.
New mandatory evacuation order: Morongo Valley, North of Pioneer Drive and West of Juniper Road. This affects about 20 homes.

There is no longer a mandatory evacuation for the Riverside County line to Palo Verde Road. Residents living in this area were allowed back into their homes last night.

The rest of the Morongo Valley is under voluntary evacuation.

-- The Desert Sun

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Smoke sightings
July 14, 09:00 a.m.
Smoke blocked the view of the peak of the San Gorgonio mountains and the western end of Desert Hot Springs this morning.

Driving west on Interstate 10 around 7:30 a.m., the smoke from the wildfires looked more like fog rather than taking shape in plumes.

-- The Desert Sun

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Hotshot crews may camp overnight
July 14, 08:51 a.m.
After being unable to have crews of “hotshots,” or elite wildfire-fighters, battle the blaze directly by hand Thursday due to dangerous conditions, officials hoped to put boots on the ground attacking the blaze’s perimeters Friday.

“We’re going to put you in there if it’s the right thing to do, but we’re going to take a look first,” DeYoung told hotshot crews in a briefing early Friday morning.

If crews are deployed onto the fire, they could end up camping on the steep, treacherous terrain overnight, DeYoung said.

“Everybody should go out and prepare to stay,” he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Morning Update: Millard Fire
July 14, 08:44 a.m.
The Millard fire moved considerably eastward during the night, to a ridge within three-quarters of a mile north of the Whitewater Trout Farm.

Emergency strike teams have been staged in that area for days in preparation to beat back any blaze from the farm and about 10 residences further south on Whitewater Canyon Road.

The fire appeared to be hanging on the ridge above the canyon Friday morning, but things could change, said Millard fire team night operations chief Acre Shreve.

“This morning that’s going to have to be a priority,” he said.

No mandatory evacuations of the Whitewater Canyon area have been ordered, Wilkins said.

The fire is expected to continue to burn into the San Bernardino National Forest to the north and west, where steep slopes, gusty winds, high temperatures, bone-dry humidity and endless stands of huge, drought- and beetle-killed trees could fuel its spread, officials said.

The Millard fire is being battled from the air with 12 fixed-wing air tanker aircraft and 22 helicopters, team air operations chief Brian Fennessy said.

“We’re hoping to be dropping all day long,” he said. “We want to get that stuff on the ground early, before the winds pick up in the afternoon and we can no longer drop.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Air equipment
July 14, 08:35 a.m.
Sawtooth Fire:
6 Air tankers
2 Air tactical planes
1 Reconnaissance plane
4 Helicopters out of Big Bear
9 Helicopters out of Yucca Valley

Millard Fire:
12 Fixed-wing air tanker aircraft
22 Helicopters

-- The Desert Sun

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1999 drought may fuel fire
July 14, 08:33 a.m.
Fire officials are concerned about the fire moving west because there is no recorded fire history in that area, according to CVF Captain Tim Chavez.

There is also "a tremendous amount of dead timber from the 1999 drought" in that area he said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Morning updates from Sawtooth
July 14, 08:31 a.m.
The Sawtooth fire made a "significant run toward Morongo Valley last night," said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Incident Operation Chief Robert Lewin.

The tactical plan for today is to use bulldozers to establish a line of containment northwest of the Morongo Community and in the direction of the Millard Complex Fire.

Fire officials have established a contingency group of firefiighters and equipment near the San Bernardino National Park northwest of Burns Canyon to prevent the fire from reaching Highway 38.

It seems imminent that the two fires will join together.

"If they have not merged, they will soon," said CVS Sawtooth Incident Operations Chief Robert Lewin.

The northern containment line - near Rattlesnake Road and Burns Canyon Road - has not moved for a couple of days and the eastern line - near Highway (247) "looks good," said CDF Battalion Chief Phil Veneris.

Although firefighters were expecting difficulty maintaining a line of containment around Burns Canyon Road, Veneris said it was stable through the night.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires are news in Great Britain
July 14, 07:54 a.m.
Our local wildfires have gained international attention.

Jim Wilkins, public information officer for the Millard Complex fire in the San Bernardino National Forest north of Cabazon, said he was interviewed by reporters from the BBC in Great Britain Thursday.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires half a mile apart
July 14, 07:29 a.m.
"We have confirmed that they are still a half mile apart," said Public Information Officer Jim Wilkins.

Though officials suspected the two fires may have joined overnight, the pilot who recently flew over the blaze reported that there are still two separate fires.

"It really is a nonevent to us," Wilkins said about the possible merger. "It really doesn't change anything. We're still fighting a big fire."

-- The Desert Sun

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Fire merge still unclear
July 14, 07:13 a.m.
There is no new information on the joining of the two wildfires from officials at the Sawtooth fire, where firefighters are still in their morning briefing.

The Sawtooth is reported to have scorched 47,800 acres.

-- The Desert Sun

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Officials disagree over fire merging
July 14, 06:56 a.m.
A helicopter flyover has confirmed that the Sawtooth and Millard fires have grown together said Public Information Officer Jim Wilkins at the Millard fire.

Battalion Chief Rick Vogt at the Sawtooth fire has denied that the two fires have merged.

Firefighters at this location are being briefed under the presumption that the fires have not merged together.

-- The Desert Sun

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Officials: fires may have merged overnight
July 14, 06:38 a.m.
Fire officials observing the Millard fire overnight belive it may have linked with the larger Sawtooth fire at 1 a.m.

Acre Shreve, night operations chief for the multi-departmental team fighting the blaze north of Cabazon said the fire moved significantly eastward overnight and may have connected with the Sawtooth fire in the Little Morongo Canyon area.

An overhead helicopter flight was underway this morning to attempt to confirm the fire linkage.

-- The Desert Sun

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Highway 62 observations
July 14, 06:02 a.m.
A sign posted on I-10 says Highway 62 is subject to close.

There's a noticable amount of smoke north of the Riverside county line.

Fires on the ridge can be seen easily from Morongo.

-- The Desert Sun

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Morning Weather
July 14, 05:38 a.m.
Winds will stay light today but will be gusty and erratic around the fires.

Yesterday wind gusts reached 40 m.p.h. in the fire areas.

Forecasters expect a gradual increase of humidity throughout the weekend. There is still a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms Saturday.

-- The Desert Sun

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Morning focus on Morongo Valley
July 14, 05:33 a.m.
Firefighters plan to continue the aerial attack this morning and are focusing on flames in the Morongo Valley today.

-- The Desert Sun

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Anza fire fully extinguished
July 13, 10:41 p.m.
A 180-acre wildfire that erupted in Anza Wednesday afternoon has been fully extinguished about 30 hours after it was originally reported, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

No injuries or damage has been reported in the area of Highway 371 and Cary Road. Firefighters are currently on the scene, making sure the area is clear.

-- The Desert Sun

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Yucca Valley safe tonight
July 13, 9:51 p.m.
One audience member asked about the possibility of the Sawtooth Complex Fire jumping Highway 62 and moving southeast. California Department of Forestry Battalion Chief Phill Veneris said it was unlikely to happen.

“I don’t believe those are high chances; they’re pretty low,” he said during the meeting, adding that air and ground support is strong and terrain is leveling out.

Another resident asked when people would have access to Rim Rock and Burns Canyon. Veneris said the roads to those communities were being used by firefighters, but he estimated local residents may have access in about 48 hours.

-- The Desert Sun

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Briefing from Yucca Valley High School
July 13, 9:47 p.m.
Rick Griggs, Riverside County Fire Department Information Officer
Briefing delivered Thursday night at Yucca Valley High School command post

1,300 and 1,500 command post --- those are rescuers. Logistical needs, laundry, showers and other things a small city would have are there. Took four hours to set up the tent city and get it operational.

Eighty to 90 percent of 51 hand crews are California Dept. of Corrections inmates who are nonviolent and trained in fire protection. They receive a small stipend.

47,800 acres burned

Fires are still 3-4 miles between eachother.

As crow flies, Big Bear is 8-10 miles from there.

As for air attack, they had to bring fixed wings down because of wind. They will try same attack tomorrow morning.

As for the two fires coming together…
-- To protect structures, clear out vegetation at least 30 feet from house.
-- "We have adequate resources on both sides of the incidences," he said, referring to the Sawtooth Complex and Millard fires. "If (the fires) combine together, we'll combine resources and it will function as one major incident. … It will actually take out a corner of both fires that we don't have to fight."
-- Prepare for evacuation by grabbing legal documents, wills, insurance forms, medications that can last for a few days, a few irreplaceables and have them ready in your car. "Have your keys on your person," he said, adding that vehicles should be pointed in the right direction. Don't wait for evacuation orders to come, he said. "Go when you feel threatened."

-- The Desert Sun

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Kern County firefighters drive through Palm Springs
July 13, 9:35 p.m.
About half a dozen Kern County fire vehicles drove through Palm Springs along Vista Chino at Indian Canyon Drive about 9:40 p.m. today.

The firefighters have aided in fighting the nation's two largest fires, now adding up to about 55,000 acres.

-- The Desert Sun

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Community center could become recovery center in Yucca Valley
July 13, 9:25 p.m.
The Yucca Valley Community Center may be turned into a recovery center for people who lost property in two wildfires that have ravaged the high desert, this week.

Organizers haven’t determined when or if it would happen, but they’re hoping to have something available by Saturday.

“It’s for anybody who feels they may qualify for assistance from the county and for anyone to have somewhere to go for information,” said San Bernardino County 3rd District Supervisor Dennis Hansberger.

The latest count shows the fires have destroyed 45 houses, 118 outbuildings and 141 cars and trucks.

-- The Desert Sun

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Backfires successful in Morongo Valley
July 13, 9:17 p.m.
Backfires succeed in the little canyon off Cedar Road in Morongo Valley.

Firefighters have saved the mostly evacuated homes on the street.

-- The Desert Sun

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Sawtooth grows th 47,000 acres; Millard now at 8,260
July 13, 8:37 p.m.
The Millard and Sawtooth wildfires continue to spread toward one another, and were less than two miles apart as of 7 p.m. Thursday.

But firefighters at the Millard fire burning north of Cabazon planned a concerted, boots-on-the-ground effort today (Friday) to attempt to keep the forest-destroying wildfires from uniting.

“We’re going to try (to prevent it), but the possibility is very real that they will connect,” said Ron Janssen, fire battalion chief for the Front Country District of the San Bernardino National Forest.

The Sawtooth fire has burned more than 47,000 acres and was considered 20 percent contained Thursday evening. The Millard fire had destroyed 8,260 acres and was only 5 percent contained.

The Millard fire did not move as rapidly Thursday as it had the previous day, officials said. They attributed it to the fire moving into areas of less dense, dead vegetation; lower wind speeds and continual retardant drops by 20 helicopters throughout the day. The helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were grounded at about 4 p.m. Thursday due to winds.

“Hot-shot” hand crews of elite wildfire-fighters were unable to attack the Millard fire on its perimeters Thursday, due to treacherous conditions.

“For just basically an aviation day it was pretty productive,” said Don DeYoung, section operations chief for the multi-departmental Southern California Incident Management Team One battling the blaze.

If conditions allow it today (Friday), officials plan to lift in by helicopter six crews of up to 30 hotshots each to directly combat the blaze, particularly on its northeastern boundaries, where it is spreading the fastest and is most likely to eventually connect with the Sawtooth fire.

Crews hope to bulldoze primitive roads and bring water and other fire-fighting equipment into an area of the San Gorgonio Wilderness known as Cat Claw Flat, just west of Mission Creek.

More helicopters are expected to attack the blaze today, and plans were to start early, team air operations manager Brian Fennessy said.

“We want to keep this beat down so we can get some folks in there,” he said.

Whether the crews lifted in will stay and camp on the mountain overnight will depend upon the conditions they find on the ground, DeYoung said.

The Millard fire appeared to be going out on its own on its southeastern flank, just west of the Whitewater River drainage area. That’s likely because the fire was encountering lighter fuels to burn, particularly because the area was largely burned in the Verbenia fire of 1995, U.S. Forest Service public information officer Pam Bierce said.

Firefighters won’t have that luck as the fire spreads to the northwest. Thick groves of huge, drought- or beetle-killed trees there could provide up to 100 tons per acre of fuel for the wildfires, Front Country District Ranger Gabe Garcia said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Evacuation center readies for bedtime
July 13, 8:37 p.m.
YUCCA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL — The bleachers are pushed against the wall. The backboard and baskets are retracted, hanging face down from the ceiling.

There will be no basketball games this night at Yucca Valley High School. Maybe not for many, many nights.

For now, the gym is holding court as the American Red Cross disaster relief center. This is the place people come if their homes have been destroyed or are threatened by the raging fires.
This is where they call home, for now. The dining room sits at center court. That’s where the brown tables and gray and beige metal folding chairs have been set up. Families gather around and eat meals together here.

Thursday night at one free-throw, the American Red Cross’ Morongo Basin chapter, managed the food supply, handing out snacks and beverages.
At the other end of the court, under blue and gold Yucca Valley Trojan league champion banners, are rows of cots, decked out in gray, wool blankets. Some of the cots look like they’ve had little or no use. Others are covered with red blankets, stuffed animals, clothes or napping people.

Night is falling on top of the mountains where fires continue to rage, and relief workers are wondering whether more evacuees will come wandering through their doors.

-- The Desert Sun

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Hotshots will attempt to keep fires separated
July 13, 8:11 p.m.
Officials plan a concerted, boots-on-the-ground effort with hotshots Friday if conditions allow it, with six crews of up to 30 hotshots each lifted in by helicopter to directly fight the blaze, particularly on its northeastern boundaries, where it is spreading the fastest and is most likely to eventually connect with the Sawtooth fire.

"We're going to try (to prevent it), but the possibility is very real that they will connect," said Ron Janssen, fire battalion chief for the Front Country District of the San Bernardino National Forest.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Aircraft grounded early because of winds today
July 13, 8:09 p.m.
The Millard fire did not move as rapidly Thursday as it had on Wednesday, officials said. They attributed it to the fire moving into areas of less dense, dead vegetation; lower wind speeds and continual retardant drops by 20 helicopters throughout the day. The helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were grounded about 4 p.m. Thursday due to winds.

"Hot-shot" hand crews of elite wildfire-fighters were unable to attack the Millard fire on its perimeters Thursday, due to treacherous conditions.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Nation's biggest fires are now less than 2 miles apart
July 13, 8:08 p.m.
The Millard Complex fire has burned 8,260 acres and was considered 5-percent contained as of 7 p.m. Thursday. The Sawtooth Complex fire was at 43,000 acres and considered 20 percent contained.

The two fires continue moving toward each other, and are now less than two miles apart.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Backfires move across canyon
July 13, 7:52 p.m.
The backfires are moving across the canyon and nearing the home with brush. Winds are holding steady.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Hotshots discuss setting backfires
July 13, 7:32 p.m.
Hotshots are being careful to light the fires ahead of one another so the fire don't sprint up the ridge and burn anyone.

Each hotshot crew has a watcher on the ridge to make sure that doesn't happen.

Felix Valle, 22, discussed his hotshot training.

"It is the trust we build before we come out here. (The more experienced watcher) tells us all his experience: 'As it goes on every day, it builds.'"

Kevin Leyton, 32, said, if the watcher makes a mistake, "then we all die."

-- The Desert Sun

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Backfires holding in little canyon for now
July 13, 7:28 p.m.
In a little canyon off Cedar Road, firefighters have lit backfires.

"If the wind shifts and comes in here, we have problems," said Dave Burkart of San Bernardino County Fire.

At least one house is surrounded by vegetation, but the homeowners won't allow anyone to clear it.

One fire truck has a chemical sprayed on its tires to prevent the spread of fire if the fire engine becomes ignited.

"Tire fires will burn for days," Burkart said.

-- The Desert Sun

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Big Bear evacuation center set up
July 13, 6:52 p.m.
Another evacuation center has been set up at Big Bear Elementary School, 40-904 Pennsylvania in Big Bear Lake.

-- The Desert Sun

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Backburn lit in Big Morongo Canyon
July 13, 6:39 p.m.
A backburn firefighters have lit in Big Morongo Canyon to fight off a fire along a ridge above dozens of homes in Morongo Valley has had problems with wind.

The Sawtooth Fire above on the ridge has actually moved further south, where other homeowners wait with firefighters in another canyon.

They, too, plan to light a backfire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Evening mail is being delivered tonight
July 13, 6:27 p.m.
Evening mail is being delivered to the evacuation center at Yucca Valley High School.

-- The Desert Sun

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Lightning sparks 5 percent of forest fires in CDF ara
July 13, 6:05 p.m.
CDF reports that lightning causes about 5 percent of all fires that organization faces every year.

-- The Desert Sun

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Animals waiting to evacuate Morongo canyon
July 13, 5:43 p.m.
Volunteers are waiting for animal control to help evacuate pets, including turkeys, goats, dogs, cats, ducks, horses, you name it.

"We feel bad for these guys. There is nothing they can do. They are helpless," Laura Elsner, 20, a volunteer with Marine Corps Community Services based at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base.

-- The Desert Sun

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Residents dig in and wait for the fire off the ridge
July 13, 5:37 p.m.
Residents are digging in and preparing to defend their homes in a small canyon just south of Big Morongo Canyon near a wildlife preserve.

The fire is visible all along the ridgeline. Firefighters have used bulldozers to dig fire breaks all around the homes between the fire.

Tom Brindle, 61, cleared brush around his half-built home with a shovel and pick ax.

"It is my dream home and I'm not letting it go up," he said. "I have got all about my lifesavings into it.

"They'll carry me out. That's the only way I'm leaving."

He's building the house for him and his wife.

Residents in the area have been buying water and food for the firefighters while waiting for the fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Residents confident in firefighters to save homes in canyon
July 13, 5:33 p.m.
Residents of the canyon off Cedar Road in Morongo Valley are confident the CDF backfire will work to save them from the fire above on the ridge.

A mandatory evacuation is in effect for the area, but residents cannot be arrested for not evacuating.

-- The Desert Sun

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CDF set to light backfire in Morongo Valley
July 13, 5:32 p.m.
CDF plans a backfire right now in Morongo Valley to stem off another fire above on a ridge off Cedar Road.

Another firefight is taking place in Big Morongo Canyon.

-- The Desert Sun

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P.S. hotels feel effect
July 13, 5:30 p.m.
Palm Springs hotels are beginning to get the residual effect of the fire, as Hilton Palm Springs Resort General Manager Aftab Dada said Thursday that the property has picked up 95 room nights since Wednesday.

“We picked up 20 rooms last night, and around 75 today,” Dada said.

Several reservations have been made for multiple nights, and have be made by residents of Pioneertown and Yucca Valley. A few firefighters are staying on the property, as well, Dada said, noting that special rates are being offered for parties affected by the fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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State of Emergency declared
July 13, 5:16 p.m.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has declared a State of Emergency for San Bernardino County.

-- The Desert Sun

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"Some fires make history. ... This will most likely be one of them before it is all over."
July 13, 5:13 p.m.
Jim Hunter, retired from CDF/Riverside County Fire, now lives in Lake Havasu and can see the smoke from the Millard and Sawtooth fires.

Through his experience, he thinks there are a few troubling factors that can affect these two fires, now the largest blazes in the nation.

"Thunderstorms, which are predicted, cause extremely erratic weather. Those kinds of winds can cause spotting as much as a mile from the main fire," he wrote The Desert Sun in an e-mail.
"Watch the weather as being a major factor in coming days."

"Second, there are no natural barriers whatsoever between these fires and the higher elevations to the west. No way to get manpower or equipment into the areas. Air power alone will not extinguish fires. This is already evident by the fact that no manpower can access the Millard fire.

"Only an opinion, but this is a very serious fire situation, more so than most, as evidenced by NIFC placing this as THE top priority fire in the US. Some fires make history. In my humble opinion, this will most likely be one of them before it is all over."

But, he said, "Take comfort in knowing you have some of the best fire managers and firefighter in the world assigned to these incidents."

-- The Desert Sun

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American Red Cross accepting donations
July 13, 5:01 p.m.
Mary Kay Moore, shift supervisor for the American Red Cross Morongo Basin Chapter of Disaster Relief, said they could use donations.

"The best thing they can do is donate money so we can secure necessary items, the basics in terms of underwear, pajamas, sleeping gear. After the shelter, we try to provide what we can. If we have the money, we can give vouchers to help get them underwear," and the necessities they need to start over.

Moore said the Red Cross appreciates the concern and the support of the public.

She said they have a lot of health concerns surrounding food. She said that food needs to individual packages. She used graham crackers as an example.

Monetary donations can be made to:

American Red Cross
Morongo Basin Chapter
P.O. Box 212
Joshua Tree, CA 92252

The Red Cross is not accepting any donations at Yucca Valley High School.

-- The Desert Sun

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Volunteers needed to transport animals
July 13, 4:45 p.m.
Both large and small animals need to be transported out of fire danger to Twentynine Palms, the Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce says.

If you have a horse trailer and can help, call Red Cross volunteer Debbie Tirozzi at 902-1522.

Small vehicles are also needed for cats and dogs.

At this time, 200 cats are ready for transport - vehicles and drivers are needed. Also needed are temporary homes for animals. Anyone who is able to help, please call Ms. Tirozzi immediately.

-- The Desert Sun

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FAA may install temporary air control tower
July 13, 4:20 p.m.
PALM SPRINGS -- The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday began discussing the prospect of installing a temporary air traffic control tower near Banning, according to FAA regional spokesman Allen Kenitzer.

Kenitzer declined to speculate on whether the discussion means the fire is gaining an upper hand.

“This would help them have better control on the locations of other aircraft,’’ he said. “The closer you are to the action, the better.”

The FAA has these temporary towers, built atop large, fifth-wheel tractor trailers, in holding areas all over the United States, Kenitzer said. They are used in cases of disasters or natural events, such as the 2001 Seattle earthquake which destroyed all air traffic control tower.

Kenitzer said a decision to put a temporary tower in place will likely be made Friday.

Air traffic control operations involving commercial, fixed base and firefighting aircraft is currently being handled out of the Palm Springs International Airport.

Operators there have reported that commercial air traffic has not been affected, Kenitzer said, and that air traffic control operators are taking steps to ensure normal operations at the Palm Springs airport. In some instances, aircraft may have been inconvenienced, however, as air traffic controllers are keeping all aircraft away from the fires.

Temporary flight restrictions have been put in place as a safety measure. They have not led to major re-routing of aircraft, Kenitzer said.

The TFR’s put in place for all air traffic to safeguard firefighting aircraft in the area are:

19 miles northwest of Palm Springs which is 6 nautical miles in radius and at or below 11,000 feet in altitude or elevation.

18 miles north, northwest of Palm Springs which is 15 nautical miles in radius and at or below 10,000 feet in altitude or elevation.

-- The Desert Sun

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Temporary air control tower could be installed
July 13, 3:46 p.m.
Officials are contemplating installing a temporary air control tower near Banning to help with firefighting aircraft.

-- The Desert Sun

---

“It is a huge relief but it is a huge amount of sadness.”
July 13, 3:33 p.m.
Diane Lakey Kolb, 43, estimated she lost $100,000 in art in the fire. Kolb owns a vintage jewelry store in Yucca Valley. She collects jewelry and classic furniture. She described depression-era Bauer pottery and original Charles Eames furniture.

Kolb said she wished firefighters had warned residents to prepare for evacuation as the fire approached the community ridge-by-ridge.

“They should have told (people) this is a possibility,” Kolb said.

The home of Aubrey and Marvin Green sustained heavy damage. Water from the fire hoses collapsed the ceiling in the middle of their house. The still-smoky air floated through the opening.

“We are luckier than some people, but it was worse than I expected,” Aubrey Green said. “I guess we’ll be homeless for a while.”

Burns said she sympathized with others who lost their homes. She also took comfort learning a family of wild quails she’d been feeding survived the flames.

“Our home is gone, but the animals we have been feeding came through,” she said.“It is a huge relief but it is a huge amount of sadness.”

Mark Matlock, 40, returned to find his home intact. But he described the emotions of Pioneertown residents during the evacuation.

“We have been living in hell,” Matlock said.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Firefighter disappointed over lost home
July 13, 3:25 p.m.
Firefighter Bryan Chriss of the San Bernardino County Fire Department returned to the burn area to visit a home he and his team were unable to protect from the flame. He said it was the first time in 10 years of wildfire-fighting he’d lost a home he was trying to defend.

“Disappointed,” said Chriss, describing the moment. “It is basically a lot of emotion, it is indescribable.”

Chriss returned to the home as owner Cindi Ribera, 43, was picking through the ruins.

The two hugged and consoled each other. Chriss recounted the final moments before the home burned.

He said the flames ripped through the dry brush like a blow torch. It was the fastest fire he’d ever encountered.

“All those books you were trained on, you could throw them out the window,” he said. Firefighters turned the hoses on Ribera’s home but the intense heat blew the hot water back in their faces, Chriss said.

“It wasn’t even hitting the flames.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Highway 62 may need to close
July 13, 3:12 p.m.
Highway 62 may close soon if smoke becomes too thick, officials said.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Smoke from fires visible in Lake Havasu
July 13, 3:05 p.m.
Lake Havasu resident Jim Hunter says via e-mail:
"The header of smoke from these fires is visible here in Lake Havasu. Not drift smoke, the actual header column of smoke."

-- The Desert Sun

---

A scene from the Sawtooth Fire
July 13, 3:02 p.m.
Under the swath of crimson toxic smoke, the panoramic Heartbreak Mountain Ridge reflects a beautiful electric-storm like orange hue.

Sprinkling ash dusts the slopes with white flakes that ignites small brush fires in its wake. The air is breathable, but dry –- leaving one’s mouth aching for water as if waking from a drunken stupor.

About 60 feet above Pioneertown, the devastation looks calculated. The earth blackened in patches of square blocks, consuming this home, leaving that. Cooked rabbits and birds and snakes lay baked into a dirt road while across the street half-dozen chickens peck at the ground in a wired coup. Slender, charred trees –- snapped in half -–and whitened stones dot the mountain range.

The fire sounds like thunder.

Charring 500 acres an hour, a molten stream zigzaps through the mountains, having chased residents from their home. Trailers and small-framed wood homes strewn among the parched brush in the hillside lie abandoned and in Sawtooth’s path.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Highways 62 and 247 remain open
July 13, 2:58 p.m.
Some residents west of 62 in Morongo Valley have been evacuated.

-- The Desert Sun

---

New evacuations are now ordered in Morongo Valley
July 13, 2:47 p.m.
Evacuations are mandatory from the Riverside County line north Palo Verde Drive to west of Highway 62.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Pioneertown residents find homes intact
July 13, 2:44 p.m.
For the first time in 48 hours, evacuated residents returned to the scene of a lightning-fast wildfire that swept through their rustic, desert community.

Residents of Pioneertown had been blocked from the area while firefighters battled the Sawtooth fire. Most had no idea whether they would return to intact homes or smoldering ruins.

“It is horrible,” said Dee Burns, a 25-year resident of the area who lost her house in the blaze. “We thought maybe, just maybe, our house was here.”

The fire has charred more than 40,000 acres so far and destroyed 42 homes. A Hollywood scene set in Pioneertown, the backdrop for countless western movies, survived the fire.

Destruction in the area around the historic downtown seemed completely random, with untouched homes standing next to houses reduced to ash and debris.

“Oh my God, look at that,” Bob Abramson shouted when he saw the flames had blackened his propane tank, but didn’t damage it or the house. “That was what I was worried about.”

Abramson’s daughter, Kim, 37, broke into tears upon arriving to find the home still standing.

“I’m just glad that his house was OK,” she said. “The other day I heard it was burned; the other day I heard it was OK.”

-- The Desert Sun

---

Fires costing about $1 million each per day
July 13, 2:40 p.m.
The costs of fighting the Millard and Sawtooth Complex fires are adding up.

“We’re figuring a cost of $1 million a day per fire,” said Michael Jarvis, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Sacramento headquarters.

The final tally – and what agencies will cover the costs – won’t be known until the blaze is over.

-- The Desert Sun

---

"Hell was knocking on the door and they said, 'Not today.'"
July 13, 2:31 p.m.
Another couple waited all night in the evacuation center at Yucca Valley High Schoool to find out if there home was OK. Today, they found it was.

"Hell was knocking on the door and they said, 'Not today,'" Mark Matlock said of the firefighters who helped save his home in Pioneertown on Mountain View Road.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Landers may need to evacuate
July 13, 2:27 p.m.
Evacuations could occur soon in Landers, where the Sawtooth is moving.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Fire moves northwest toward Big Bear Lake
July 13, 2:27 p.m.
Divisions A, B are bulldozing westward, toward the Millard Complex Fire, in an attempt to create a line of containment on the southwest side of the Sawtooth Complex Fire. Divisions in Branch II on the north are charged with holding the northern line of containment. Divisions in Branch III are attempting to create a line of containment on the east.

The fire is moving northwest, toward Big Bear.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Another home safe in Pioneertown
July 13, 2:27 p.m.
Along Pipes Canyon Road, a couple found their home safe, despite nearly a dozen destroyed or damaged in the area.

The Cornells were relieved to find their home safe.

-- The Desert Sun

---

CDF says firefighters are prepared
July 13, 2:25 p.m.
CDF stressed that firefighters were adequately staffed for the current fires as well as other fires that might break out around the staff, though they have requested 20 hand crews from USFS in other states just in case more help is needed later.

``We do have a number of fires burning throughout California,'' Grijalva said, ``but I do want to let you know we have enough resources to still cover the rest of California for initial attacks to any of the areas protected by (CDF).''

-- The Desert Sun

---

CDF is trying to get a DC-10 certified
July 13, 2:23 p.m.
CDF is trying to get a DC-10 aircraft certified to be used for the first time in California to fight fires.

The privately-owned aircraft is currently in Boise, Idaho at the United States Forest Service fire headquarters being checked out and Grijalva said he is sending staff there to help speed up the process, so hopefully it will be ready to go in four to five days.

There are advantages and disadvantages to it:

ADVANTAGE: DC-10 can drop 22,000 gallons of retardant at a time vs. 1,200 gallons per drop from the smaller planes now in use.

DISADVANTAGE: DC-10 must fly higher and can't make the precision drops that the smaller aircraft can.

``I have directed my staff to do everything in their power to work with the U.S. government in Boise to get that thing (approved) and available as soon as possible,'' Grijalva said.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Shelters next to Yucca Valley High has a lot of animals
July 13, 2:17 p.m.
Shelter next to Yucca Valley High School has the following animals:

Present stock:

- 37 horses

- 3 goats,

- 3 sheep

- 20 dogs,

- 12 birds

- 1 rabbit

-- The Desert Sun

---

Evacuees' nerves frazzled
July 13, 1:44 p.m.
Marguerite Vanderhoek has been living in the Yucca Valley High School gymnasium since Tuesday. She is ready to go home.

The road to her house was opened less than an hour ago, but still she waits.

Her nerves are frazzled and she is disoriented. Her demeanor is representative of the handful of stragglers still left in the Red Cross evacuation shelter that initially held about 30 of the displaced from Pioneertown and the surrounding areas.

Just over 24 hours ago, the faces in the shelter were smiling, laughter could be heard echoing in the gym; but today the faces are long.

“I’ve had the same clothes on for three days,” Vanderhoek said Thursday. “It’s so wearing because it’s such a strain – you don’t know if your home is gone or not.”

It was announced that the road to Vanderhoek’s home – Pipes Canyon Road – opened at noon, and most of those staying in the shelter who live in Pioneertown bolted.

Vanderhoek was taking her time to get home though. And when she goes, she won’t go alone. Her new friend, Tom Kayne, is still stuck at the shelter because the road to his home – Rimrock Road – is still closed and firefighters aren’t saying when it will open.

Red Cross volunteers “listed all the roads that opened at noon but I’m still stuck here because I live in Rimrock,” Kayne said dejectedly.

“I’m trying to prepare myself for the worst, but how do you do that,” Vanderhoek said while eating – presumably -- her last meal at the Red Cross shelter. She plans to take Kayne with her to see if her house is still standing.

“I’m going to drive Tom, I just don’t want to be by myself.”

-- The Desert Sun

---

The latest on the Millard Fire
July 13, 1:42 p.m.
Firefighters continue to wage an aerial assault on the spreading Millard Complex blaze north of Cabazon.

The wildfire has now consumed 6,930 acres.

About 20 helicopters are working in a continual loop, dropping retardant on the blaze.

Their work is critical in attempting to contain the fire, as hotshot crews of elite wildfire fighters cannot access the front lines of the blaze, officials said.

Don DeYoung, a Los Angeles County firefighter and operations section chief for the multi-departmental Southern California Incident Management Team battling the blaze, said he and two hotshot supervisors flew over the fire this morning searching for areas where hand crews could stage an attack.

“We couldn’t come up with anything that was productive or it was just plain not safe,” he said.

Five hotshot crews are staged in areas south and west of the fire, clearing primitive roads and trails to provide access for possible fronts of attack should the fire spread.

Concerns continue that the nearly 7,000-acre fire may link to the 40,000-acre Sawtooth Complex Fire to its east.

Energy released by the huge wildfires is creating its own weather and wind, said Drew Smith, a fire behavior analyst with the incident management team.

“That’s really going to influence the amount of geography chewed up between the two fires,” he said.

Temperatures are again today expected to be more than 100 degrees with relative humidity in the low-teens to single digits.

Winds are gusting out of the southwest.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Firefighters ready at Whitewater
July 13, 1:35 p.m.
The Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy reports that fire crews are on standby at the Whitewater Co., according to Katie Barrows, associate director of Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy.

“They’re communicating with our staff,’’ Barrows said. “The crews are on standby at the Trout Farm, in case the fire changes direction.”

Barrows said crews set up a station at the trout farm just acquired by the conservancy district since Wednesday night. “They had us move some of the vehicles,’’ she said. “The area has been cleared.”

-- The Desert Sun

---

Fires are nearly 80 square miles
July 13, 1:35 p.m.
The Sawtooth and Millard fires are nearly 80 square miles in size.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Millard Fire is now nearly 7,000 acres strong
July 13, 1:34 p.m.
The Millard Fire has now consumed about 6,930 acres.

-- The Desert Sun

---

One resident's home is saved
July 13, 1:23 p.m.
Carol Creech said her Eastline home is still there. Her 5 1/2 acres have been burned and the storage building outside burned.

"I guess the firefighters were right on it. From what I've seen, they had to be."

-- The Desert Sun

---

Firefighters still hope fires will combine
July 13, 1:23 p.m.
Bob Plascencia, a CDF firefighter, said of the two fires, "Hopefully, they'll combine."

CDF Battalian Chief Jim Hall said the Sawtooth Fire is moving parallel to Highway 62.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Fire grows 400 acres an hour
July 13, 1:17 p.m.
The Sawtooth Fire is moving about 400 acres an hour, firefighters said this afternooon.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Church readies to help
July 13, 12:49 p.m.
Members of Las Palmas Community Church are gathering donations of food, clothing and water to help those displaced by the fire. They are also looking for monetary donations to buy gas cards and other necessitates for evacuees.

The Nazarene church is also ready to open a shelter if the other evacuation shelters get overwhelmed.

“If it’s needed, we can open our doors,” said Kristen Wollan, church’s finance manager.

The church is at 47-783 Monroe St. in Indio. Information: 347-0051

-- The Desert Sun

---

Whitewater residents may have to evacuate
July 13, 12:48 p.m.
Tyrone Nicholas Troupe III, a Rancho Mirage realtor who owns a home in Whitewater River Ranch, said he was told Wednesday of the prospect of evacuation.

“I can see smoke in the hills,’’ he said, but because the wind had been blowing in a different direction he wasn’t worried.

Neither Troupe nor any residents living nearby who have left as of yet. “Everyone is waiting until it gets closer,’’ he said, voicing confidence that firefighters would work hard to save this historic area that includes the Whitewater Trout Farm.

Troupe said the canyon didn’t just draw Culver Nichols in the 1920s, who dug a trench from the river flowing all the way to old Las Palmas in Palm Springs. It once held small cottages for tuberculosis patients. Before the I-10 freeway was built, the spot was a thriving town with restaurants, gas stations, motels and a post office.

More recently, it’s been viewed by spiritualists as an “energy vortex,’’ Troupe said, drawing transcendental meditation practioners and even Joey Covington, the drummer for Jefferson Airplane.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley safe for now
July 13, 12:33 p.m.
The Morongo Valley and Yucca Valley areas seem safe right now as the Sawtooth Fire continues moving west into the San Bernardino National Forest.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Residents drive into Pioneertown
July 13, 12:10 p.m.
Residents have begun returning to Pioneertown and surrounding areas.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Gov. Schwarzenegger will wait to visit
July 13, 12:08 p.m.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was briefed twice on the fire Wednesday and is being briefed again this morning, but he is not expected to visit the fire sites today, said Adam Mendelsohn, his communications director.

``He looks forward to going down and visiting, but right now is not the time to go and visit. They are in the process of fighting these fires,'' Mendelsohn said. ``CDF has asked that no legislators or people go visit the command centers so (they) won't interfere with operations.''

-- The Desert Sun

---

CDF: The two fires may merge today
July 13, 12:07 p.m.
State officials are worried that the Sawtooth Complex fire and the Millard Complex fires may merge today.

``Those fires are about 5 miles from each other and they may join to become one fire,'' Ruben Grijalva, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said in a press briefing Thursday morning.

``It is a high likelihood that they will merge,'' Grijalva added.

He said firefighters are concentrating on the western side of the Sawtooth fire.

``The western perimeter of the Sawtooth fire continues to be our priority in our suppression effort.,'' he said. ``that is the perimeter that is approaching the San Bernardino County national forest.''

He said the temperature is expected to be between 105 degrees Fahrenheit and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, with five percent relative humidity.

``That is extreme weather for the conditions they are working under,'' Grijalva said.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Residents are returning to their homes
July 13, 11:56 a.m.
About 30 cars are lined up on Pioneertown Road ready to return to their homes.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Special chopper has helped send video to firefighters
July 13, 11:26 a.m.
Firefighters in Southern California are using a converted military helicopter to help them see through smoke and send fire video back to commanders on the ground in real time.

“The faster we can that information from the field, the safe the firefighters will be on the ground,” said Tom Patterson, ESRI Wildland Fire Specialist. “It gives them eyes that they never had before in a real time environment.”

The AH9 Cobra is equipped with high resolution cameras capable of reading a license plate from the air and infrared capabilities to penetrate thick, billowing smoke.

The video is almost instantly sent to commanders who can asses the situation.

Laser technology pinpoints hot spots and relays the exact latitude and longitude for water drops.

Patterson said the helicopter was brought to the valley yesterday and immediately proved its worth.

Commanders used the live video feed to find a hot spot in the For Sure fire and pulled firefighters out of that section of the Millard Complex Fire.

This video reconnaissance can also help save houses by giving up-to-the-minute updates of the fire’s perimeter and tracking its movements.

The U.S. Forest Service bought two of these surplus aircraft from the U.S. Army for $1 each, said Matt Mathes, Spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service in California.

The Forest Service spent $160,000 to demilitarize them, meaning they took out the missiles and machine guns and replaced them with high-tech sensors.

The Cobra was the world’s first dedicated attack helicopter and was used frequently in the Vietnam War. The Forest Service has been using these helicopters for three years, especially in Southern California, Mathes said.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Fire crews set up around Whitewater Road
July 13, 11:18 a.m.
Fire crews have set up engines and bulldozers in the Whitewater Road area in the event they are needed to protect the Whitewater Trout Farm and about 15 residences there, officials said.

Firefighters also are establishing a second fire retardant tank from which helicopters can fill in the Whitewater canyon area, Garcia said. The tank will provide quicker turn around time for helicopters attack in the east side of the fire and leave the retardant tank fill-up site on the Morongo Casino property for west side fire suppression, he said.

Until now, they’ve been operating with one fill-up site on the Morongo reservation.

At present, Garcia said there were 11 crews of 30 firefighters on the site. Fourteen of 16 requested helicopters had arrived as of 10:30 a.m. to battle the blaze.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Some residents can return home at noon
July 13, 11:08 a.m.
At noon evacuated residents will be allowed back in on Pipes Canyon Road, Gamma Gulch Road, and Skyline Ranch Road.

However, Burns Canyon Road and Rimrock Road will remain closed, said Becki Redwine, fire prevention specialist with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

When residents do return to their homes, they can expect power outages as power lines and power poles are down.

Personal propane tanks should be checked for burned areas and stay away from propane tanks with leaks.

Crews are in the area working to remove those power lines from roadways.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Morongo reservation to discuss evacuation possibilities
July 13, 11:06 a.m.
Firefighters were expected to meet this morning with Morongo tribal administrators to update them on the potential for evacuation of roughly 400 to 500 reservation residents. The tribe’s new $250 million casino resort is also in the midst of the 32,000-acre reservation, along with Hadley’s Date Nut Farm and Cabazon Outlets.

Waltona Manion, a spokeswoman for the tribe, said firefighters with the tribe are in constant communications with fire officials and the casino has been providing meals to crews who are using the original Morongo Casino now being used as a bingo parlor as a command center.

The site has also been a staging area for firefighting efforts.

The Morongo Fire Department has had firefighters participating in the Anza Fire, which was reported to be contained as of 6 p.m. Wednesday night.

Manion also reported no change in visitor traffic to the casino, hotel or other business ventures as of Thursday morning.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Concerns about fires merging still pressing
July 13, 11:03 a.m.
Concerns continue that the Millard fire will eventually link with the massive Sawtooth Complex Fire that has burned 40,000 acres to the east.

The fires are currently four miles apart; that is about the same distance that existed around dusk Wednesday when tribal officials were advised of a “contingency plan” to evacuate the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Reservation if the two blazes linked and advanced.

Generally fires die down when the sun sets, temperatures fall and wind subsides.

Garcia said there were favorable wind conditions to fight the Millard fire this morning, but that was expected to change.

Weather officials are predicting wind gusts Thursday, low humidity and 115-degree temperatures.

-- The Desert Sun

---

Hotshots battle blaze in steep terrain
July 13, 10:53 a.m.
The Millard Complex Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest is at 4,000 acres and growing as it heads east, fire officials said.

Fire activity began to pick up about 9 a.m. today, as temperatures and wind rose, said Gabe Garcia, district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service.

Eleven “Hotshot,’’ or elite, wild firefighting crews are on the scene with most of their work consisting of setting barriers away from the fire to try to slow its progress, Garcia said.

The “Hotshot” crews were pulled off the San Bernardino Mountain last night, as the fire raged, “because it was unsafe,’’ Garcia said. “It’s just a difficult place to put people,’’ he said, adding slim odds of putting many firefighters up there today.

The steep terrain is treacherous, Garcia said.

“One wrong step and you could be down 1,000 feet,’’ Garcia said. “It’s mountain goat territory.”

-- The Desert Sun

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Thunderstorms could arrive as early as today
July 13, 10:35 a.m.
There is a slight possibility that weather coming in from Baja will produce a thunderstorm in the area, but National Weather Service forecaster Stan Wasowski said the storm would likely have little effect on the fire.

“It’s creating it’s own environment right now,” Wasowski said.

He said the storm may be only 6 miles wide, which would have minimal impact on the 40,000-acre fire.

There is a 20 percent chance of a thunderstorm coming to the valley late this afternoon or this evening. Those chances may increase to 40 percent by Sunday.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires could become erratic today
July 13, 10:25 a.m.
The potential for erratic fire behavior remained intact this morning, according to Glenn Barley, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Barley said rough terrain also complicates the fire suppression effort.

-- The Desert Sun

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Morongo reservation safe at this point
July 13, 10:13 a.m.
Fire crews for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, who have kept a close watch on the progression of the Millard and Sawtooth fires, reported early this morning that shifting winds just before midnight Wednesday meant a contingency plan to evacuate the reservation did not have to be put into place.

The 32,000-acre reservation is home to about 500 people, the $250 million Morongo Casino Resort, Hadley’s Date Nut Farm, restaurants and Cabazon Outlets.

Waltona Manion, a spokeswoman for the tribe, also reported no change in visitor traffic to the casino, hotel or other business ventures to date.

-- The Desert Sun

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Storm could arrive Sunday
July 13, 10:04 a.m.
Gabe Garcia, district ranger for U.S. Forest Service, said "If we get thunderheads on it, the wind becomes eratic. That's a concern."

-- The Desert Sun

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Millard Fire grows
July 13, 10:02 a.m.
Millard Fire has grown to 4,000 acres and is heading east toward the Sawtooth Fire near Morongo Valley.

Firefighters anticipate the two fires could merge as early as Friday morning.

-- The Desert Sun

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High-tech chopper aiding in the effort
July 13, 09:42 a.m.
Firefighters are using a high-tech helicopter to help fight the nation's two biggest fires.

The AH9 Cobra has the capability to penetrate smoke and trees with an infrared sensor to determine the exact location of hot spots and send real time video to commanders.

Already this technology has protected firefighters and helped commanders decide to pull them from one section of the Millard Complex Fire.

-- The Desert Sun

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Fires could enjoy feeding frenzy in forest
July 13, 09:40 a.m.
Fire officials are worried about the bark-beetle infestation that's occurred over the past five years in the San Bernardino National Forest.

The Millard Fire north of Cabazon, now about 3,600 acres strong, is burning west of Morongo Valley in the forest.

The Sawtooth Fire is burning closer to Morongo Valley.

Firefighters fear the fires, now 5 miles apart, could merge and become stronger.

-- The Desert Sun

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Firefighters vigorously fight nation's biggest fires
July 13, 09:29 a.m.
Here are the latest details from the Sawtooth Complex Fire:

40,000 acres scorched.

20 percent contained.

No estimated time of containment.

No loss of structures overnight

Fire personnel believe the Sawtooth is pushing toward the San Bernardino National Forest and fire crews are attacking the blaze's left flank.

1,340 fire personnel are battling the blaze

51 hand crews

42 houses destroyed

89 vehicles destroyed

10 injuries, two civilians, firefighters.

Helicopters launched an aggressive, day-long aerial assault on the Millard Complex and Sawtooth Complex fires around 7 a.m.

-- The Desert Sun

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