Blaze continues to threaten homes
Firefighters continued their efforts overnight to protect homes on Live Oak Drive from destruction as flames from the Slide Fire crept toward homes.
Fire engines trundled up and down the winding road between Highway 18 and Highway 330 just before midnight. Hoses extended from some, and firefighters stood along the side of the road watching flames dance in the stands of trees and brush behind homes.
Even more homes and structures could burn.
"The only concern we have is down below Running Springs," said Dan Kleinman, deputy incident commander of the Slide Fire for the U.S. Forest Service. "We got more trucks out there than last night. The radio's quiet, though, and that's good."
He said more resources are expected to be moving in from other parts of the state and even outside the state today to assist in battling both the Grass Valley and Slide fires.
He said the fire is still burning about two to three miles north of Highland, and the rate of speed has been slower than expected.
As they usually do during such large-scale wildland fires, commanders put in place an incident action plan for firefighters assigned to protect homes and fight the fire overnight. The objective: To prevent fires from spreading to the communities of Green Valley Lake, Running Springs, Arrowbear, Grass Valley, Deerlodge Park, Crestline, Lake Arrowhead and Twin Peaks, keep the fires west of the Butler II Fire, keep the blazes south of the Holcomb Creek drainage basin and to keep the fire north of Highway 18 and east of Lake Gregory Drive.
Afternoon winds today are expected to die down and humidity is expected to increase, which would prove very favorable to firefighters, said Cathleen Thompson of the U.S. Forest Service. A low pressure system may start to develop off the coast as well, but this morning it's expected to be gusty and windy, she said.
While no containment has been declared on either fire, Thompson said that with favorable weather conditions, perhaps firefighters can get some line around the fire today, at least with the Grass Valley Fire.
Joe Nelson, joe.nelson@sbsun.com