Fire Worries Close Parts of National Forest

Rangers have closed portions of the San Bernardino National Forest and are considering closing sections of the Angeles National Forest amid concern that bone-dry conditions have left the mountains vulnerable to brush fires.

The closures, made Friday and Monday, come after two weeks of brush fires across Southern California that fire officials have described as unusually intense for this early in the fire season.

They said they were surprised at how fast the fires were able to move through canyons and foothills, fueled by brush with low moisture levels.

“We’re looking at conditions now that we typically see in September or October. We’ve got a long and dangerous season ahead,” said Kathy Peterson, Angeles National Forest spokeswoman.

Riverside County illustrates the problems firefighters are facing. The county has seen a slight increase this year in vegetation fires -- 2,956 compared with 2,815 in 2003.

But last year, those blazes ate through 487 acres by July. This year’s fires have burned 37,173 acres so far.

“The change is drastic,” said Capt. Rick Vogt of the Riverside County Fire Department, most of whose 850-member force worked July 12-22 without a day off.

It’s the first time in two years that portions of the San Bernardino Forest have been closed as a fire precaution.

The areas are “primarily very steep, very brushy, and don’t get a lot of [public] use anyway,” said Ruth Wenstrom, a San Bernardino National Forest spokeswoman.

Officials targeted lower elevations where brush is the driest and moisture levels the lowest. Fires that start in these foothill areas are likely to charge up into the mountains and canyons, near residential areas.

“We selected these areas because if fires start here, they pose the biggest threat to the Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead and Idyllwild communities,” Wenstrom said.

At the Angeles and San Bernardino national forests, officials have imposed bans on open flames, such as campfires, lanterns and camp stoves. They have also restricted smoking to inside vehicles and buildings.

“All of these restrictions are in the hope that the less open fires you have in the forest, the less chance there is for an accidental fire starting,” Peterson said.

Last year, campfires were allowed in Angeles National Forest within developed campgrounds, but this year’s conditions have prompted the stricter regulations and talk of closures if the fire season worsens.

Areas that did not burn in last year’s fire season are even drier this year. Bark beetle problems in the San Bernardino National Forest have ravaged trees and made them more susceptible to fire.

Firefighters have also been faced with unfavorable weather. Usually, they can make gains at night when humidity increases and winds diminish. But weather in the last two weeks of fires remained unpredictable both day and night.

In Riverside County, officials said part of the problem is that people who use the outdoors don’t realize how flammable brush can be.

Many of this summer’s fires have been caused not by arson but by hikers, hunters and others enjoying the outdoors, Vogt said.

“Things are just extremely dry, extremely ready to burn, and careless acts that normally this time of year might not cause fire are starting fires,” he said.

People in mountain communities ravaged last year by the worst wildfires in state history have been keeping their eyes and ears open, Wenstrom said, reporting hazardous situations and pestering their neighbors to keep space clear of weeds and grass.

On Friday, officials closed portions of the San Jacinto Ranger District, mostly foothills above Hemet and below Idyllwild.

On Monday, they closed foothill areas above Banning, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, San Bernardino and Yucaipa.

Idyllwild residents said the closures and fear of fire hadn’t changed the tenor of the small arts community largely driven by tourism dollars.

“We’ve had a busy weekend, and all the roads and all the businesses are open,” said Elaine Latimer of the local Chamber of Commerce.