Crime & Safety

Aircraft Back on Mountain Fire

Fire commanders estimate full containment of the Momyer Fire by May 17, a Forest Service spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Helicopter pilots resumed water and retardant drops Wednesday on a stubborn mountain fire burning in drought-stricken, bug-killed timber above Forest Falls in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

The Momyer Fire, named for a nearby creek and trail, was active Wednesday between 7,000 and 9,000 feet elevation. It was burning about three miles above the town of Forest Falls.

The Forest Service estimated it had burned about 150 acres. Firefighters had the fire 50 percent contained as of noon Wednesday, according to the Forest Service.

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Fire commanders hoped to have the fire contained by May 17, a Forest Service spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Factors firefighters had to deal with Wednesday included extremely steep, rocky terrain, and heavy timber fuels in an "extreme bug kill/drought kill area," according to a Forest Service update.

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"There is no recorded fire history up there," Pam Bierce of the San Bernardino National Forest said. "The last one in the area was in 1959 near Monkey Face Falls, further west down Mill Creek.

"That's why it's so dense and decadent, really thick," Bierce said. "There's an extreme amount of fuels."

The Momyer Fire was reported about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, burning in a north by northeast direction, west of Alger Creek and north of the Momyer Creek Trail. Cloud cover and fog grounded aircraft Monday and Tuesday, and made it difficult for firefighters to see the perimeter of the fire, Bierce said.

Clearer skies Wednesday allowed helicopter pilots to provide water drops, crew transport, and reconnaissance of the fire perimeter, according to the Forest Service.

Firefighters were cutting line around the fire and trying to gain access to spot fires to the east.

There were 180 personnel assigned to the fire Wednesday, including firefighters and three helicopter crews. One firefighter suffered a twisted knee, Bierce said.

The Momyer Creek Trail and Vivian Creek Trail remained closed until further notice.

The fire area was treacherous for fire crews, who had to walk three miles into the mountains to reach the main fire, Bierce said Tuesday.

"There's a lot of snags, dead trees, falling debris, you know, the trees are burning and falling over."

"We have mass amounts of trees up there that were killed by the bug infestation that we had, the drought, all of that," Bierce said. "That's what the fire is burning and it's going to take a while to mop it up because they'll want to make sure all the hot spots are out. So it's going to be a long duration operation."

The cause of the fire was under investigation, Bierce said.

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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