USFS: Mountain Fire 70% Contained

A stubborn mountain fire burning in drought-stricken, bug-killed timber above Forest Falls in the San Gorgonio Wilderness was 70 percent contained by Thursday evening, according to the Forest Service.

The Momyer Fire, named for a nearby creek and trail, was active Thursday between 7,000 and 9,000 feet elevation. It was "creeping and smoldering in heavy down and dead materials" about three miles above the town of Forest Falls, according to the Forest Service.

Fire commanders estimated the fire would be fully contained by May 17.

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

"There is no recorded fire history up there," Pam Bierce of the San Bernardino National Forest said Wednesday. "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 185 personnel assigned to the fire Thursday. One firefighter suffered a twisted knee, Bierce said Wednesday.

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

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.