More than 1,400 acres consumed in the area’s largest fire this year
Fire rages in Hesperia
LasFlores fire 5 percent contained at 11 p.m. Saturday Officials lift some of the mandatory evacuation orders
By KATHERINE ROSENBERG Staff Writer
HESPERIA — More than 1,400 acres had been consumed by the LasFlores fire as night fell on the Victor Valley on Saturday. Though the flames ripped through the Las Flores Ranch area into Summit Valley and toward Hesperia Lakes and hundreds of homes, no one was injured and just one outbuilding was lost to the blaze that began around 10:41 a.m. Saturday, said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. The roof of a Vista Road home was damaged, but firefighters worked to knock the fire down, leaving $15,000 in damage. Martinez said more than 400 firefighters had saved hundreds of homes during the day, adding that “structure protection has been our number one priority.” The fire was at 5 percent containment as of 11 p.m. Saturday and full containment is expected by 6 p.m. today, Martinez said. At 10 p.m. a mandatory evacuation ordered for Ranchero Road was lifted and residents allowed to return to their homes, as the small progress made in battling the blaze was against the fire’s northern-most flank, officials said. “We fight fires of this magnitude every year, but it seems rather early in the year for something like this. We usually don’t see this until May or June,” said Battalion Chief Sid Hultquist of the San Bernardino County Fire Department, who is the incident commander for the LasFlores fire. “Hopefully this isn't a sign of the things to come.” The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it began in a remote area accessible only by backpackers and offroaders, so Martinez suggested a motorcycle or off-road vehicle may be to blame. The location is also responsible for how difficult the fire was to fight, Hultquist said. “It is staying in the canyon areas and the main problem we’re having is accessibility,” Martinez said. “It is fueled by heavy brush like juniper and chaparral and the wind and the sand is so soft we can’t get to it.” Several fire engines were actually stuck in the sand for some time Saturday morning , but by mid-afternoon those engines had been removed, officials said. Most of the attack on the blaze came from two helicopters making water drops on the fire as well as handcrews and bulldozers on the ground trying to establish a fire line. Those water drops ceased with nightfall and were to resume at first light today. First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt was in Phoenix when he was told of the fire, but he was expected to make the trip back to San Bernardino County to assess the situation. He explained that because this fire came so early in the year, several agencies were caught off guard. “It’s not fire season yet, so we don’t have our standing army ready to fight,” Mitzelfelt said. Hultquist agreed, saying that several integral pieces of equipment, such as additional aircraft, were being repaired in preparation for the typical start of fire season later this year. Mandatory eva c u at i o n s were ordered in the early eve n i n g fo r 200 homes and 30 ranches in the area west of Arrowhead Lake Road from Hesperia Lakes south to the spillway, as well as for everything south of Ranchero Road between Farmdale on the west and I Avenue on the east, Martinez said. Although the High Desert Chapter of the American Red Cross set up an evacuation center at Sultana High School, officials said just three families showed up. “We are keeping the center open in the event that anything changes overnight, and in case anybody needs us,” said Sue Robinson, CEO of the local Red Cross chapter. Robinson advised that small animals such as dogs, cats and birds can be taken to the Hesperia Animal Shelter at 11011 Santa Fe Avenue. Larger farm animals will be accepted at Lime Street Park for the duration of the mandatory evacuations. “I would like to thank our brave firefighters for their heroic efforts in protecting lives and homes today,” Mitzelfelt said.
Losing a ‘million-dollar view’
LasFlores fire leaves path of destruction
By TATIANA PROPHET Staff Writer
HESPERIA — Looking at his wife’s scorched tomato and rhubarb plants, William Douglas lamented the loss of his “million-dollar view,” a near-idyllic stretch of desert sloping down from his backyard and stretching to the back of Lake Arrowhead. “It’s going to be a long time before the view is ever the same,” he said. On Sunday evening, the LasF lores fire was 95 percent contained, with a s e c t i o n still burning at the norther n end in a nearly ina c c e s s i bl e area. “We’re trying to fight that from the air and have some containment lines around it,” said county fire spokeswoman Tracey Martinez, adding that she expected it to be totally contained by 3 p.m. Monday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. On Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t just the great view that Douglas was worried about. He was barreling up the Cajon Pass on his motorcycle as his high school friend Danny Welsh, Welsh’s son Cameron and two other friends were digging trenches and hosing down juniper trees. “They saw the roof starting, and they called the fire guys over,” said Douglas as he looked at scorched earth that was just feet from his backyard. “If it wouldn’t have been for good friends and the fire department, I probably would have lost the house.” As the wind changed and began blowing the fire toward the Vista Street hillside, the word came out from sheriff’s helicopters telling residents to leave. At that point, an ember from a juniper tree blew onto the roof and got wedged under the layer of tiles, burning the sheeting underneath. “If it would have smoldered longer, it could have gotten the whole roof going before it caused major damage,” Douglas said. Fire officials tore the burning material off the roof and had to hose down the inside of the master bathroom to make sure a spark had not spread to any insulation or walls. Douglas pulled up on his bike to see his friends working on the house. “They were back there, faces black, eyes red,” he said. The Rancho LasFlores fire burned through 4,100 acres Saturday in Hesperia’s Summit Valley, with 400 firefighters from multiple agencies battling the blaze. Aside from Douglas’ roof, there was a shed that burned a few houses over, but no loss of life. Hesperia opened a Red Cross shelter at Sultana High School where seven families spent the night. The city also housed seven dogs and other animals at Hesperia Animal Control. Many residents spent the night with neighbors living outside of the evacuation area, said Douglas’ neighbor, Toni Combs, who stayed with friends in Barstow. For Cameron Welsh, what he and his dad did was just what you do when a friend needs help. “We knew he was in trouble, so we just went over and helped him,” he said.
LasFlores wildfire contained
‘We don’t have a fire season in California anymore,’ says county fire chief; It’s all year long
By TATIANA PROPHET Staff Writer
HESPERIA — The LasFlores fire was 100 percent contained at 3 p.m. Monday, with 35 firefighters putting out the last uncontrolled portion of the fire at its north end. “Quite frankly, we don’t have a fire season in Califor nia anymore,” said Fire Chief Pat Dennen of San B e r n a rd i n o County. “Until we come out of this drought cycle that we’ve experienced for over a decade, we’re going to have active burning all year long.” “Everything is burning well inside the fire lines,” said Tim Wessel, division chief with the county fire department. “People will occasionally see smoke come up, and that is very common for a large fire.” A crew was to remain Monday night to monitor the situation, he said, and another crew will be there today. In the aftermath of the fire, some residents and passers-by said they thought the fire department’s first response was not strong enough, whether for lack of manpower — or even lack of effort to fight it early on. Dennen said it’s common for engines to be waiting on the road during an incident because strike teams cannot mobilize until they have all arrived in the same spot. “For safety considerations, we get them together, we form them up, we give them a safety briefing and we hit the road,” he said. “A lot of times when people see engines sitting on the side of the road, generally it’s a strike team waiting to be assembled.” Often, strike teams are made up of five engines from different parts of the state. “If you just send them one at a time, that would be an unorganized mess,” Dennen said. Dennen said that in a crisis, everything appears to be moving slower. “When people are facing a crisis, they want a standing army in their front yard as quickly as you can get it, and who blames them?” he said. One change Dennen would like to see is more fixed-wing aircraft available. Fixed-wing aircraft carry more liquid and can spread retardant on a line to stop a fire in its tracks. The DC-10 water tanker based at Southern California Logistics Airport was not used on the Hesperia fire because it was undergoing heavy maintenance in preparation for fire season. “The closest air tanker was in New Mexico,” Dennen said, adding it was not available. Fixed-wing aircraft are generally too expensive for local governments, he said. But at the same time, he expects federal and state agencies to make aircraft more available to fight fires that are happening yearround.
Hesperia, Rancho LasFlores emerge unscathed
By HILLARY BORRUD Staff Writer
HESPERIA — When the smoke cleared from the LasFlores fire this weekend, the city was able to breath a sigh of relief. None of Hesperia’s infrastructure was damaged, and scorched vegetation in part of the Rancho LasFlores property seemed unlikely to slow down plans for 16,000 homes. “We were out there this morning, and basically it burnt off the grass,” said city spokeswoman Kim Summers. The city does have a well in the area that staff were concerned about, Summers said, but it survived the fire without damage. More than 4,000 acres burned, some within the planned Rancho LasFlores development and some outside of it. Rancho LasFlores, LLC is currently in the process of working on a revised specific plan with the city, said chairman Donald W. Hutchings. The developer had hoped to submit the plan and an environmental impact study to the City Council by the end of 2006, the Daily Press reported last fall. “We were concerned about the structures within the historic LasFlores Ranch,” Hutchings said. The ranch is part of the specific plan, but will remain under the independent ownership of Jack Vanberg. Hutchings said he spoke with the manager of Rancho LasFlores, LLC land and “there was no discernible damage to our land, other than natural landscape there in canyons. The area has mostly regrown from the fall 2003 Old Fire, and he expects the same outcome with damage from this fire. One of the lessons the city would like for residents to learn, however, is the importance of clearing defensible space around their homes. “I’m really surprised we didn’t lose a lot of homes out on that ridge because there are junipers and brush out on that ridge,” mayor pro tem Mike Leonard said of the area around Vista Street. “The fire season’s going to absolutely be bad.” Summers said she hoped that people would drive out to the edge of the burn and see how it came close to people’s homes. Leonard said he was impressed by the dedication of city staff, who spent their weekend pitching in to keep traffic out of the fire area and helping in a variety of ways. Residents need to be more prepared, however, he said, and follow evacuation orders.
Firefighters corral High Desert blaze
Evacuees return home as mop-up continues
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer San Bernardino County Sun
Article Launched:04/02/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT
HESPERIA - A brush fire that consumed about 4,100 acres and forced the evacuation of 230 homes was 95percent contained Sunday evening, officials said.
Full containment was expected by 3 p.m. today.
The Las Flores Fire, which began Saturday morning in the San Bernardino Mountains south of Lake Arrowhead, threatened hundreds of homes in the Vista community, said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
Firefighters relied on light winds to corral the blaze that damaged the roof of one home and destroyed a storage shed, Martinez said. No injuries were reported.
"Everything is looking great," Martinez said. "We're going to leave some engines there overnight to mop up hot spots and make sure nothing happens."
About 150 firefighters on Sunday used water-dropping helicopters to douse the flames, she said.
An emergency shelter set up at Sultana High School closed Sunday morning, and residents in the area returned to their homes as evacuation orders were lifted, Martinez said.
Fourteen people stayed in the shelter Saturday night, she said.
Evacuees spent Sunday unpacking their belongings and recovering from what could have been a tragedy.
Larry Bird, who lives on El Cajon Lane, rushed home from his 8-year-old son's Little League Baseball game Saturday afternoon when someone told him that flames were quickly approaching his property.
"It got as close as the (embankment) behind the house," he said. "I had 15 friends and family to help us evacuate. They helped us to hose down the roof and make sure the embers didn't come up on the house."
Bird's wife and three children spent the night at a friend's house in Apple Valley while he stayed behind to make sure the house was safe.
"This fire got on us so quickly because of the wind," said Bird, whose garage floor was full of photo albums and videotapes that he had loaded into his truck when the fire crept in.
"Huge columns of smoke came flying in," Bird said. "One of our friends said you've got to get out of here, and we did."
Down the street, Kerri Shepherd said she watched the flames come within 200 yards of her house.
"It was so scary because it was right there," said Shepherd who lives with her husband and 13-year-old daughter. "It was kind of crazy for a little bit. We're lucky the winds shifted."
The blaze appears to have started on the north side of Las Flores Ranch. Its cause was still under investigation, Martinez said.
The fire forced the closure of parts of Highway 173 and Arrowhead Lake Road, but Martinez said both roads were expected to reopen Sunday evening.
Smoke-Out: Las Flores fire forces mandatory evacuations
For the first time in three and a half years, fire threatened large numbers of Hesperians this weekend. Hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate as a brush fire consumed more than 4,000 acres.
Approximately six hours after their mandatory evacuations began, residents of homes south of Ranchero Road, between Farmdale and I Avenues were allowed to return home at 10 p.m. Saturday night. By 8 a.m. Sunday, all evacuation orders had been lifted and the evacuation center at Sultana High School was closed.
The fire burned more than 4,000 acres, according to Hesperia city spokeswoman Kim Summers. More than 150 firefighters continued to battle the blaze Sunday night, down from a peak of more than 300, working from the Incident Command Post in Mojave River Forks Regional Park. The fire was almost fully contained late Sunday night.
Miraculously, reported damage was minimal, and was officially limited to only a burned roof and a destroyed storage shed.
The blaze began Saturday morning in the future housing development of Rancho Las Flores, an area of the city once beloved by off-road enthusiasts but now destined to be the site of 16,000 additional homes. The development had been delayed following the real estate market's decline in the 1990s, but the developer, Rancho Las Flores LLC of Dana Point, has recently begun work on reviving the project, subject to upgrades to Highway 138.
Smoke blacked out the sky over southern and eastern Hesperia, and residents scrambled to get family members and pets from their houses, in response to urgent knocking on their doors by members of the San Bernardino County Fire Department and fire departments from communities as far away as Ontario. All the while, ash fluttered down from above.
Even before the evacuations began, fire officials closed most roads south of Ranchero Road, save for a few dead-end roads, which were crowded with spectators. Headlights were on east of Kingston Avenue, as smoke turned day into night and forced many residents to cover their mouths and noses with bandanas.
The last major fire to threaten Hesperia was in October 2003, when the Grand Prix and Old Fires merged together. Feasting on dead trees in the San Bernardino Mountains killed by a bark beetle infestation, the fire swept down on the city, forcing evacuations and turning the Hesperia Fairgrounds into an evacuation center for surrounding communities.
Weekend fire still on everyone’s mind
By H i l l a r y Bo r r u d
If you have a question about Hesperia, e-mail Hillary Borrud at hborrud@vvdailypress.com or call her at 951-6234. Hometown Hesperia is part of a rotating column that focuses on a different Victor Valley city each week.
The smell of smoke still hung over the Mesa when I visited Tuesday, but the neighborhood was quiet after the Las Flores fire crept up to its edges this weekend. Rumors that the San Bernardino County Fire Department could have done more to contain the blaze were still smoldering, however, causing Mayor Pro Tem Mike Leonard to go to Wednesday night’s City Council meeting prepared. “I guess everyone thinks the government should take care of all their problems,” he said. “A lot of people were unhappy because there weren’t a lot of aircraft available.” Many aircraft were under maintenance at the time of the fire. Leonard said before the county Fire Department took over service in the city, the former Hesperia Fire Department opposed the city’s annexation of Summit Valley land because it was too large of an area to cover with their available resources. The mayor pro tem spent Saturday, when the fire started, and Sunday working with city staff and the Fire Department to keep people away from the area and talk to residents. One problem was that the city does not maintain Las Flores Ranch Road, Leonard said, which would have been one way to reach the fire. The Fire Department also does not have keys to gates on roads along the California Aqueduct, which would have provided another route to the fire. If people want to keep their homes safe, Leonard said, they need to trim trees and brush around their homes: Several houses near the fire had junipers and other cypress growing right next to them.
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fire 5 percent contained at 11 p.m. Saturday 
