Multiple Fires Started in the Big Bear Area During Summer Lightning Storm

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A stormy summer day brought rain and lightning to the Big Bear Valley on Tuesday. Multiple lightning strikes were recorded shortly after 12:00 p.m. Most of the strikes were recorded north and east of the Big Bear communities Bear Holcomb and Lucerne valleys.

At 1:05 p.m. emergency crews got dispatched to reports of a fire near Holcomb Valley North of the Big Bear Valley. The 911 caller stated that he was offroading through the Van Dusen Canyon area and saw lightning strike a tree which sparked a fire. Smoke was visible for approximately 10 minutes before the 911 call was made.

Additional callers reported visible smoke from across the Big Bear Valley as the responding units were enroute.

The Big Bear Fire Department, San Bernardino County Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service Fire and Cal Fire units had been immediately dispatched for a full response. While those units were responding another lightning strike hit and sparked a second fire.

More 911 calls came in at that time reporting a third fire. When units arrived at that location however, they determined that it was only water dogs. Water dogs is a term referring to visible water vapor rising from the forest. Oftentimes resembling smoke, water dogs are to blame for a large number of false alarms during summer rainy weather.

These two confirmed fires were named the Bertha Fire and the Dusen Fire, respectively. Since there was multiple burns under one Incident Commander, the U.S. Forest Service combined them and referred to them as the Big Bear Complex Fires.

Aircraft were immediately on order and helicopters quickly arrived on scene. They began to make water drops after locating each of the burning trees. The helicopters could be seen flying from Holcomb Valley over North Shore as they were dipping water out of Big Bear Lake and Bakers Pond. Ground crews arrived on scene and made access to each incident. Both incidents were confirmed as burning in trees with limited or no extension into the brush.

U.S. Forest Service officials were able to release the cooperating San Bernardino County Fire, Cal Fire and the Big Bear Fire Department crews from the scene when it was confirmed that the Forest Service hand crews were able to manage the burns.

At the Dusen Fire, the burning tree was approximately 50 feet high. The firefighters that made access to that tree were in need of a bigger chainsaw. The saw that is normally carried by this type of hand crew was too small to deal with this extra large tree trunk. A specialized firefighter with a much larger chainsaw was summoned to the scene.

A couple of hours before sunset, that firefighter and large chainsaw arrived at the vehicle staging location on Van Dusen Canyon Road. After hauling that large saw, 50 pound pack and other gear a half mile up steep terrain through heavy brush, he made fast work of felling the smoldering tree. The crew then cut the tree up and ensured that all of the burning portions were fully extinguished. The firefighters hiked out from the scene arriving back at the brush engine after dark.

A third confirmed fire was spotted just before 5:00 pm. The 911 caller was standing on the corner of Hatchery and Highway 38, between the communities of Sugarloaf and Erwin Lake. Looking South towards Sugarloaf Peak, smoke was seen coming from what was believed additional lightning strikes, approximately three-quarters of the way up Sugarloaf Mountain towards the summit.

BLM Helicopter 554 was dispatched to the scene. The flight crew confirmed that two trees were actually burning with minimal brush involved. They also advised that the burn was surrounded by rocky outcroppings. Additional U.S. Forest Service Hand Crews were dispatched to this third fire referred to by officials as the Loaf Fire. For the next 2 hours, the helicopter continued dropping water, keeping the fire from spreading until ground crews could arrive. The firefighters made quick headway with this fire as the other crews did with the previous two fires. Just after dark, all three fires were confirmed as contained, with the Bertha Fire and Dusen Fires out. Fire crews are waiting until morning when it’s safe to cut down the smoldering tree at the Loaf Fire and fully extinguish that fire.

According to the U.S. National Park Service, 15% of all wildfires are started by lightning. The National Weather Service has also released statistics indicating that the peak months for lightning induced wildfires stretches from July to August with a lesser number reported in September. It is believed that wildfires sparked by lightning later in the year, have less chance of becoming a destructive conflagration as they are more often accompanied by rain or hail than earlier in the summer. While the general public is always encouraged to call 911 to report wildfires, it is during this lightning fire season that officials especially rely on the public’s watchful eye of our forests. This “See something, say something” mentality was responsible for today’s wildfires being called in fast and officials being able to mount a quick response, minimizing damage and danger to the mountain communities.