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Homes spared from flames
By Rebecca Unger and Stacy Moore / Hi-Desert Star
YUCCA VALLEY — A brush fire that ignited Saturday afternoon in the hills above Hospital Wash and South Yucca Wash here was contained early Sunday morning before it could spread through the heavily populated foothill neighborhoods between Amador Avenue and Acoma Trail.
The Acoma Fire burned 356 acres, destroyed one small shed and sent an elderly citizen seeking treatment for smoke inhalation, fire officials report.
By Tuesday afternoon, crews were just putting out hot spots, according to Battalion Chief Katherine Opliger, who hoped to have the operation wrapped up today.
Black dust devils swirling over the burned area Monday afternoon attracted the interest of sightseers and emergency responders, who were able to discern that there were no flames associated with the twisting towers of ash.
Arson investigators on scene
The fire began on federal Bureau of Land Management property in the brush-covered terrain near Golden Bee Drive and Acoma Trail, said Opliger.
It’s certain the flames were caused by humans, but, said Opliger, “Whether it was accidental or intentional has yet to be determined.”
County fire Capt. Steve Lasiter said vehicles were spotted near where the flames started.
Investigators from the sheriff’s department, county fire and BLM combed the point of origin Sunday for evidence, Opliger reported.
Hundreds of firefighters rally
The first to respond to the call at 1:26 p.m. Saturday was Yucca Valley Engine Company 121 from the station on Twentynine Palms Highway.
As the fire began to spread, more companies were called in, with Yucca Mesa Station 122 among those doing structure protection.
As the Yucca Valley firehouse emptied of trucks and crews, three young men in the Yucca Valley Fire Explorers program stayed at the base. Calob Breslin, Cody Nash and Nick MacLeod handled calls, received incoming information and orders and dispensed updates to anxious home and business owners in the threatened area.
One Explorer, 15-year-old post captain Steven Savacool, went on the call with Station 121, which was charged with fighting the wildfire.
The Bureau of Land Management, represented by Tim Dunfee, and San Bernardino County Fire Department, represented by Opliger, formed a unified command in charge of the fire.
All told Saturday, according to Opliger, facing the fire were 350 men and women on the ground and 16 aircraft in the air, with crews from Cal Fire (the state firefighting department), the BLM, National Park Service, Forestry Service and Twentynine Palms Marine base along with personnel and equipment from communities including Morongo Valley, Twentynine Palms, Redlands, Loma Linda, Palm Springs, San Bernardino City and Chino. “All fire agencies in the local area were involved,” said Opliger.
Over Saturday night, the number of assigned crews dropped down to about 100 firefighters. Sunday, about 140 remained working on the lines while one helicopter flew overhead.
Weary firefighters from San Bernardino said the water-dropping helicopters, from as far away as Apple Valley, were instrumental in stopping the blaze. “Aircraft is always integral,” Opliger agreed.
Patients prepared to evacuate
Desert Manor, a nursing facility close to the fire on Cholla Avenue near Golden Bee, was ready to evacuate Saturday afternoon as flames crept nearer. The only mandatory evacuation of the fire was called as a precaution at the skilled nursing facility, which is home to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
“We took this action because of the amount of time involved if an immediate evacuation was ordered because the fire was at their doorstep,” said a fire official. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
Business office manager Marlynda Sevigny said 48 residents were lined up in the hallway “for a very challenging hour and a half, packed and ready to move out.”
Sevigny said director of nurses Liz Langer did a great job coordinating the patients and their medications, and credited the facility’s monthly fire drills for things going as smoothly as they did.
Joshua Springs Christian school offered to send buses to Desert Manor, and J.R. Williams, the on-site project superintendent for R.L. Elder Construction at the Mesquite 55 housing development, offered to send water trucks.
Firefighters mitigated the threat to the facility and the evacuation was called off, Opliger said.
Shifting winds make it tougher
As hundreds of firefighters tried to get a handle on the flames Saturday, they were challenged by the light, flashy fuel that predominates the terrain and strong, shifting winds.
“The difficulty in fighting this fire was in establishing an anchor point,” said Opliger. “Typically, we start to fight where the wind is at our backs, but when we got to that point, the wind would shift and suddenly we would be at the head of the fire.”
The remote terrain was an added challenge; engines could access a corner of the fire from roads, but crews had to hike in from there.
“Our critical resource needs ended up being water tenders that were small enough to travel over the dirt roads and rough terrain out here,” said Opliger. “We were able to get what we needed.”
——
Reporter Jimmy Biggerstaff and Sports Editor Dave Miller contributed to this article.
The Acoma Fire burned 356 acres, destroyed one small shed and sent an elderly citizen seeking treatment for smoke inhalation, fire officials report.
By Tuesday afternoon, crews were just putting out hot spots, according to Battalion Chief Katherine Opliger, who hoped to have the operation wrapped up today.
Black dust devils swirling over the burned area Monday afternoon attracted the interest of sightseers and emergency responders, who were able to discern that there were no flames associated with the twisting towers of ash.
Arson investigators on scene
The fire began on federal Bureau of Land Management property in the brush-covered terrain near Golden Bee Drive and Acoma Trail, said Opliger.
It’s certain the flames were caused by humans, but, said Opliger, “Whether it was accidental or intentional has yet to be determined.”
County fire Capt. Steve Lasiter said vehicles were spotted near where the flames started.
Investigators from the sheriff’s department, county fire and BLM combed the point of origin Sunday for evidence, Opliger reported.
Hundreds of firefighters rally
The first to respond to the call at 1:26 p.m. Saturday was Yucca Valley Engine Company 121 from the station on Twentynine Palms Highway.
As the fire began to spread, more companies were called in, with Yucca Mesa Station 122 among those doing structure protection.
As the Yucca Valley firehouse emptied of trucks and crews, three young men in the Yucca Valley Fire Explorers program stayed at the base. Calob Breslin, Cody Nash and Nick MacLeod handled calls, received incoming information and orders and dispensed updates to anxious home and business owners in the threatened area.
One Explorer, 15-year-old post captain Steven Savacool, went on the call with Station 121, which was charged with fighting the wildfire.
The Bureau of Land Management, represented by Tim Dunfee, and San Bernardino County Fire Department, represented by Opliger, formed a unified command in charge of the fire.
All told Saturday, according to Opliger, facing the fire were 350 men and women on the ground and 16 aircraft in the air, with crews from Cal Fire (the state firefighting department), the BLM, National Park Service, Forestry Service and Twentynine Palms Marine base along with personnel and equipment from communities including Morongo Valley, Twentynine Palms, Redlands, Loma Linda, Palm Springs, San Bernardino City and Chino. “All fire agencies in the local area were involved,” said Opliger.
Over Saturday night, the number of assigned crews dropped down to about 100 firefighters. Sunday, about 140 remained working on the lines while one helicopter flew overhead.
Weary firefighters from San Bernardino said the water-dropping helicopters, from as far away as Apple Valley, were instrumental in stopping the blaze. “Aircraft is always integral,” Opliger agreed.
Patients prepared to evacuate
Desert Manor, a nursing facility close to the fire on Cholla Avenue near Golden Bee, was ready to evacuate Saturday afternoon as flames crept nearer. The only mandatory evacuation of the fire was called as a precaution at the skilled nursing facility, which is home to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
“We took this action because of the amount of time involved if an immediate evacuation was ordered because the fire was at their doorstep,” said a fire official. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
Business office manager Marlynda Sevigny said 48 residents were lined up in the hallway “for a very challenging hour and a half, packed and ready to move out.”
Sevigny said director of nurses Liz Langer did a great job coordinating the patients and their medications, and credited the facility’s monthly fire drills for things going as smoothly as they did.
Joshua Springs Christian school offered to send buses to Desert Manor, and J.R. Williams, the on-site project superintendent for R.L. Elder Construction at the Mesquite 55 housing development, offered to send water trucks.
Firefighters mitigated the threat to the facility and the evacuation was called off, Opliger said.
Shifting winds make it tougher
As hundreds of firefighters tried to get a handle on the flames Saturday, they were challenged by the light, flashy fuel that predominates the terrain and strong, shifting winds.
“The difficulty in fighting this fire was in establishing an anchor point,” said Opliger. “Typically, we start to fight where the wind is at our backs, but when we got to that point, the wind would shift and suddenly we would be at the head of the fire.”
The remote terrain was an added challenge; engines could access a corner of the fire from roads, but crews had to hike in from there.
“Our critical resource needs ended up being water tenders that were small enough to travel over the dirt roads and rough terrain out here,” said Opliger. “We were able to get what we needed.”
——
Reporter Jimmy Biggerstaff and Sports Editor Dave Miller contributed to this article.
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| Battle pitched in neighborhoods |
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of hidesertstar.com.
mandybug wrote on Feb 9, 2009 1:00 PM:
" Sylvia was a very loved friend of mine. I was so blessed to know her in the little amount of time she had. I spent a lot of days at her home with her, and she spent many nights sleeping over at my house. I love looking through my pictures of her. She will forever be missed... "
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simplybohemian wrote on Jan 26, 2009 10:09 AM:
Shalow was heavily involved.
I hope Her family will find the peace they deserve. "