Crime & Safety

Mountain Fire 90 Percent Contained But Approaching Storm Will Dictate

Once the Momyer Fire is fully contained, the fire area will be patrolled by aircraft for at least one week to detect any areas of residual heat, according to the Forest Service.

A 150-acre mountain fire smoldering in drought-stricken, bug-killed timber above Forest Falls in the San Gorgonio Wilderness was considered 90 percent contained Monday, forest officials said.

Whether full containment is declared Tuesday will depend on what an incoming storm system brings to the fire area above Mill Creek Canyon, between 7,000 and 9,000 feet elevation, said Gabe Garcia, Front Country District Ranger for the San Bernardino National Forest.

"If it brings a lot of moisture that will be good," Garcia said in a phone interview. "If it brings a lot of wind and no moisture, that will work against us. We had a little hot stuff the other day, and some spill-over. There's a lot of stuff on the ground up there."

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The approaching storm is composed of two systems rotating around a long-wave trough, National Weather Service meteorologist James Thomas said in a phone interview Monday evening.

Snow levels in the mountains could come down to 5,000 feet elevation, and above 7,000 feet snow accumulations could be 4 inches to 8 inches, Thomas said.

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Winds on Tuesday were expected between 15 and 20 miles per hour, with gusts to 30 mph. Winds on Wednesday were expected between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts 30 mph, Thomas said. Sustained and gusting winds could be stronger in the mountains.

The Momyer Fire, named for a nearby creek and trail, was reported about 10:30 a.m. May 8. Fire behavior Monday was described as "creeping and smoldering in heavy down and dead materials" about three miles above the town of Forest Falls, according to a Forest Service update.

Burned acreage estimates remained around 150 acres. There were about 100 personnel assigned to the fire Monday, Garcia said. Three firefighters had sustained injuries since May 8.

Factors firefighters have dealt with over the past nine days include extremely steep, rocky terrain, and heavy timber fuels in an "extreme bug kill/drought kill area," according to the Forest Service.

"And the three-hour walk in," Garcia said. "It's a lot of work just getting up there, with all the gear they have to carry."

The Vivian Creek Trail was re-opened Monday. The Momyer Creek Trail remained closed until further notice.

The cause of the fire was said to be under investigation.

Scientists warned before devastating mountain fires in 2003 that drought and bark beetles had killed millions of trees in the San Bernardino National Forest, which straddles San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

More than a million dead trees have since been removed from mountain communities including Angelus Oaks, Forest Falls, Big Bear and Idyllwild.

But millions more dead trees remain standing and fallen in high mountain wilderness areas.


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