San Bernardino brush fire sent many fleeing, chars 75 acres

SAN BERNARDINO — Firefighters were working to gain the upper hand on a windblown brush fire that erupted early Thursday near the San Bernardino National Forest that quickly charred 75 acres, forced road closures and sent residents fleeing from neighborhoods.

The Old Water fire ignited just after 2 a.m. near Old Waterman Canyon Road and Highway 18 and began rapidly chewing through dense brush along the hillside abutting neighborhoods. About an hour later, officials began evacuating neighborhoods amid concerns that gusty winds could send the fire moving toward homes at the base of the hillside, said Zach Behrens, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino National Forest.

By late morning, roughly 400 firefighters battling the blaze had largely quelled the intense flames that hours earlier had threatened to overwhelm nearby neighborhoods, boosting containment of the fire to 30%.

Voluntary evacuations in the city of San Bernardino for all homes north of Foothill Drive between Del Rosa Avenue and Manzanita Drive have been lifted. However, roughly 80 homes in north San Bernardino neighborhoods that include Mariposa Drive, David Way and Arrowhead Road remain under mandatory evacuations.

“Things happen in a heartbeat with these fires, so we have to be very judicious in keeping people safe,” Behrens said.

While firefighters have made progress on the blaze, officials fear strong Santa Ana winds in the forecast for the region may cause the fire, which is smoldering in thick underbrush, to flare up and move toward homes.

“Crews are building containment lines and knocking down hot spots,” Behrens said. “We have to be ready for new attacks because this is only day one of a two-day wind event — with another due to arrive on Sunday.”

“When it comes to wildfires, this is the week of the year when everything seems to happen in California,” he added. “All the elements are lining up: wind, heat, very low humidity and very dry vegetation.”

Forecasts of strong Santa Ana winds, temperatures in the 90-degree range and low humidity prompted the National Weather Service to issue red flag warnings through 5 p.m. Friday for much of Southern California, including San Bernardino.