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Floyd's TV News Reports
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Thank you to John McIntosh for some pictures from the
area.
I've posted some below.
Taken from Playground Area
Taken from Playground Area
Taken from Playground Area
3PM Local
Time Thursday
I have just got off the telephone with a former Rim Hi Grad, Dotty Pierson
(Evans). She told me both of her brothers lost homes in the firestorms. One
in Cedar Glen of Lake Arrowhead and the other in Enchanted Forest area of
Crestline. They lost many mementos plus cars trucks etc. Both quite
literally have the clothes on their backs and a the car they escaped with.
Now the last report I heard on KFWB radio is that they still have a fire
north of Running Springs and one more out towards Hesperia and north of Lake
Arrowhead- so it ain't over till itıs over
More later on as conditions warrant
One more update
at 12:10 PM on Thursday-
Views from KNBC are showing that most all of upper Cedar Glen homes are
gone. Astoundingly a few houses on Hook Creek road were still standing. One
was a fellow who used to be a firefighter before he moved there back in the
mid 1980s. He said that when the bark beetle started to take hold two years
ago, he developed a plan to save his place when the fire event happened and
he knew it would.
He spent over 30,000 bucks (some of his neighbors mocked his efforts and
said he was spending way too much money) on installing an underground water
tank to have an independent water supply for his place. Then he removed some
twenty or so dead trees from around his place (his place is wood and wood
shingles too). He installed sprinkler systems around and atop the house. He
also obtained self contained gasoline driven fire pumps (these are kind I
used when I was in the Navy) Anyhow- he also bought gallons and gallons of
fire fighting foam (this is used for flammable liquid fires like oil but
puts down a good fire resistant base). He had been planning on this fire for
two years. He was not scared to stay in the area because of his preparations
and his training. He used his equipment and experience and saved his house,
all by himself too, he knew he was on his own. Everything around him is gone
it looks like a moonscape.
And the neighbors who mocked his efforts? Weıll let the audience decide-
Now to be fair most of those people probably could not afford the price he
paid for fire protection. Cedar Glen is a working class area and most are
not as rich as those around the lake front. But never the less he showed
that it could be done. When rebuilding starts as it eventually will, he
probably will have some input to add to fire protecting houses in obvious
fire prone areas such as the densely packed areas like Cedar Glen or Blue
Jay or maybe the Crestline/Cedar Pines park area out on Sawpit Canyon road
were I used to live.
One other great story-
There were only sixteen strike force firefighters in Cedar Glen yesterday
evening and night, I heard they were from Crest Forest Fire district but
canıt confirm it. Anyway they stood their ground and held the line and by
their efforts alone saved at least 300 or more houses in lower Cedar Glen
area before they were forced to leave for their safety. Had they alone not
done this the loss toll would have been well over 600 homes in Cedar Glen. I
have no reports of Kufel Canyon area though but the Arrowhead village and
surrounding areas are largely intact or so the reports go. Last night when I
was looking at this area of Cedar Glen via helicopter shots, the smoke and
fire were unbelievable. I was astounded that there were people down there in
the middle of it! We all know how small and twisty those roads are and how
easily you could get trapped by falling and/or burning trees as one news
crew almost did yesterday.
Hats off (and any other kudos) to these heroes! Very, very large cajones as
Ernest Hemmingway used to say-
Cut now to a shot from a chopper over the Cajon Summit. It shows now the
entire Arrowhead/Crestline area socked in with clouds and very damp fog.
This is making the fires very manageable. Now they are saying that there are
fingers heading out from north shore Arrowhead to Apple Valley/Hesperia but
not as bad as yesterday. Same as before for a finger still heading to the
Big Bear area but there were no reports of how bad this hot spot is doing.
Things are improving rapidly but the fires are not out yet. Rain is
predicted for maybe Friday, or Saturday and/or Sunday. Donıt know how much
but or if it comes, any will help now-
Will be back later on or as conditions warrant.
Take it easy and hang in there
8:30AM Local
Time
Update from many TV stations- very windy, cold, drizzling rain on the Rim.
Wind appears to be forcing the fire towards the Hi Desert and away from Blue
Jay and Arrowhead Village. Still much fuel left in them thar hills.
Running Springs has dodged a bullet so far- last night it looked like the
town was toast. Miraculously the fire diverted around it, I had heard of a
few homes lost there, but none confirmed as of now. Foggy and temp at old
Lloyds restaurant is 40 degrees.
I live near Cypress CA and it is presently raining now- albeit not much- I
hope this is a good sign.
If things change I will send more updates- for now it LOOKS positive as far
as Lake Arrowhead Village, Blue Jay, Green Valley, Arrowbear, Snow Valley
etc., are concerned Big Bear appears to be out of harmıs way, for now, but
that could change. Now this is not to minimize the problem, there still is
fire on the mountain in many areas. It is just not as bad as it was-
As Winston Churchill said shortly after the start of WW2 and the US had just
entered into the fray,
It may not be the beginning of the end, but it surly is the end of the
beginning.
Ok 11:55 PM
Local Time
KNBC Reporter Chuck Henry reports from Cedar Glen ( and there isnıt much to
see except burnt trees and vacant places where houses used to be ) Nothing
left on Hook Creek road or anywhere else it looks like-
Problems have developed because of winds coming up. Crews are being
withdrawn from north of the hospital near Papoose Lake at the dam in
Arrowhead. Hot spots are taking control and many houses are in jeopardy
there. Earlier today they said the north shore campground area burned- canıt
confirm that but as I watched that segment it sure looked like it was going
up.
No mention of Blue Jay except that it is still there as far as I know.
Running Springs is still fluid with many spot fires surrounding the town-
donıt know if any homes lost- no reports of any so far.
Weather changing rapidly it is windy on the hill top now and that ainıt
good! - temps however to get down in Running Springs to 32 degrees and rain
is predicted maybe on Friday night with snow level to 5000 feet. If this
happens, and this is iffy now, it may help put these damned fires out. Keep
your fingers crossed.
One last report from Crestline area- many homes lost in Cedar Pines park no
mention of how many- fires still blaze there as TV is showing-more accurate
counts tomorrow hopefully.
6:20 PM News
Update from KNBC Channel 4
Views from Cedar Glen in Lake Arrowhead are absolutely astounding. Hookcreek
road and Pineridge were the only street names visible. It looks like a world
war 2 movie in Europe! There are no houses standing anywhere, block after
block after block of demolished homes. The estimate is now 250-350 homes in
the southern section of Cedar Glen alone destroyed by the fire, but I canıt
confirm this. No word on Arrowhead Village, but I heard about an hour ago
that Blue Jay is still standing and not threatened, at least this was an
hour ago.
Running Springs is now threatened east of Hwy 330. There are many strike
teams up there including engine companies from everywhere. Keep your fingers
crossed on this one.
I was watching events about an hour ago in Cedar Pines park and Valley of
Enchantment in Crestline as it was getting dark. Sorry to report but many
structures were on fire, I could not tell where it was because it was
getting dark but they were blazing very fiercely. There were teams around
the fires but there was simply not enough water to put any of these out. The
houses created so much heat, the trees surrounding them go up and this just
adds to the problem of extinguishing them. The TV cameras home in very close
and it looks very hot!
Sorry but this is about the best I can tell everyone-
I am turning the TV off for a while- my emotions are on overload.
4:15PM Wed,
Watching three
channels at a time actually switching back and forth and my remote fingers
are getting sprained. Anyway the broadcast from KNBC Channel 4 is a mile or
two west of the Hwy 30 cutoff in Running Springs. They have flames on three
sides of the town (not surrounded so far). Nothing lost yet.
They are spraying a gel like material on the trees on the other side of Hwy
18 to try to prevent it going into houses on the other side, hope it works.
TV air picture shows Cedar Glen area of Lake Arrowhead- the reporter says it
looks like most of it is covered in smokey haze I can see a lot of flame and
smoke. He says he has been watching it for an hour and the whole area is
seems to be going up. From my vantage point it looks as if he is right. A
solid line of black and gray smoke along the entire ridge line from Hwy 18
over to the Arrowhead Dam area and over behind the hospital and east of
Papoose lake below the dam. It looks like a caldera in a volcano. It is now
along Hwy 173. Unconfirmed reports at 8 to 10 homes burned but I know it
will be much more than that. You can see black smoke interspersed with the
gray which means houses going up. Picture now shows one house east of
Papoose lake and it is burning very quickly. Spot fires to the north and
east of Cedar Glen now reported. Watching one more house starting to catch
in the area- getting too painful to watch. Dead trees every where you
look-all are match sticks.
The chopper views on another station is now over Crestline area and the view
towards Arrowhead and Running Springs is unreal. The columns of smoke are
high, huge, vast and cover many miles. The smoke is now stretching towards
Las Vegas. The chopper pilot above Crestline is now showing the Julian Fire
Smoke many miles away and it looks ugly and stretches very high in the air.
I had heard a report earlier on KFWB radio. It talked about one personıs
observing the fire come thru the Heaps Peak area above Santaıs Village and
it was kind of chilling to hear. Everything in that area is gone or so the
caller said
Hollywood could not write a movie script like this one- nobody would believe
it.
2:45 PM
Local Time
Direct pictures from Arrowhead Hospital chopper pad near
the dam- the pictures show many homes burning on Hook Creek Road in Cedar
Glenn- at least ten I could count. The TV crew almost didnıt get out because
of downed trees and power poles. I timed one house and it burned entirely in
two minutes! Cedar Glenn doesnıt look like it will survive or at least look
like it used to as we remember it.
This is very hard to see-
12:30PM Wed,
Chopper TV shots above Lake Arrowhead right now. The TV camera looks like it
is centered just above Blue Jay and fairly high up. I can see the entire
lake and especially the dam area. There is noticeable fire and smoke on the
other side of the dam and in the north shore but not down to the lake edge
it is back up above the lake maybe a mile or two. They say that it is headed
towards the Fawnskin area on that side of the ridgelines and Big Bear Lake.
Report from Green Valley Lake and looking over to Running Springs
looks the fire is still active over the rim there too.
Quick live shot
of Crestline and I could see Lake Gregory in the bottom right of the screen
there is noticeable smoke and fire in the areas that look like Cedar Pines
Park and Valley of Enchantment
Sorry but it is now confirmed and I have watched a number of homes in Cedar
Pines Park go up with astounding speed, Very close in shots too-and they
didnıt appear to be small summer cabins either.
Wish it wasnıt
true but it doesnıt get easier or better-
10:40am, Wed-
The fire is spotting all around the approaches to Big Bear, apparently in
the Arctic Circle area near the summit above Snow Valley. Estimates are only
a few miles from the dam. But there is no defined line of fire- it is
spotting and burning below the tree tops. The TV news shows an arrowhead
house burning. I timed it and it burnt to the ground completely in
less than ten minutes! With the dead trees going very quickly next to the
house. The entire area doesnıt look good- > Reporter is now showing us the
old Lloyds Restaurant and the town of Running Springs, it looks intact but
for how long? It is starting to get very smoky and it is very strange to see
Hwy 18 in Running Springs with no traffic. The estimate is that fire north
and west of there and the town is still standing with very little structure
damage. It is amazing that the town was saved, for now. Keep your fingers
crossed and stroke the beads-
Showing the heart of Big Bear Lake from the fire station and it is strange
to see no traffic. Fire is up and just over the ridge from the dam or so it
looks. They are now showing the Summit area near the top of Cajon Pass, it
is now spotting around that area too, near the outskirts of Hesperia! And
there are no firefighters around- everyone is stretched too thin.
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