Fire crews battle 7,100 acre brush fire in San Bernardino County

there also the area east of Orchard Road to Clover Hill from Highland Avenue North to the Foothills in Highland okay um I'm getting word that we have um an individual on the phone from San Bernardino County Fire Chris Prader who can certainly fill us in more on efforts there to fight this fire um on the ground from the air and I believe he's available now and ready to speak with us over the phone Chris are you there hi Mr CH yes I am how are you I'm doing okay how are you I'm sure that's a a loaded answer this afternoon as you guys work on this fire yeah very busy we definitely have our hands full out of here okay so what can you tell us just about um the the efforts uh to to fight the fire what's going on how conditions and the heat is impacting this firefight wind conditions out there what all can you share so our last confirmed acreage was at 7,22 Acres uh we get this official acreage from flights that go in and give that to us as soon as we get an updated one uh from that number we will be sure to give it to you guys firefighters are out there fighting a very tough battle um they're fighting 100 plus degree temperatures very steep terrain and some new weather conditions today with thunderstorms that came in with these thunderstorms they produce downdrafts pushing the fire in all directions and even some dry lightning all right so you would think or and maybe this is just my ignorance but it would it would sound like maybe some rain or precipitation of some sort might help but with the Thunder and the lightning um that creates other issues you're saying yes with these thunderstorms that come in our two main concerns are the lightning uh they can possibly start new fires and obviously we have the safety of our firefighters in mind and second the downdrafts they produce winds that come in and push the fire in all directions and are impossible to predict what direction it's going to go in so then how are um how are the crews that are on the ground there how do they kind of combat a situation like that or can they crews are working crews are working hard we have in there and dozers fire engines reinforcing some of these containment lines and trying to provide structure protection in areas that needed the most uh we put a high emphasis on the areas that are being impacted immediately um this fire has been very unpredictable today as you can tell with the latest evacuation orders that have been issued by the Saro County Sheriff's Department let's talk about those evacuation orders um have any structures actually at this point um caught on fire or this is just a precaution right now what can you share about that all these orders are issued out by the S Dino County Sheriff's Department we do not have any reports of any damage to structures at this time our number one concern is the safety of the public we would like to get them time to get out of Harm's Way and evacuate in a timely manner one thing we'd like to also share with them is that if you're in an area that is affected by an evacuation order please evacuate as soon as possible have time to get your family out safely take care of your loved ones elderly possibly neighbors with disabilities and just look out for each other by getting out of the area this also provides us ample time to get in and room to protect your house okay and property for sure with the conditions out there we know that it is already hot um then you add in of course fighting a fire I can only imagine just the conditions that that your crews are having to work through um can you talk about the response size about how many uh firefighters are out there right now and then what does that look like is there rotating out or or or what's what can be done yes all the firefighters work have a work rest cycle uh during that work rest cycle they are encouraged to drink lots of water stay hydrated and to look out for one another how many um do you know yeah I'm sorry as of this morning we had a little over 500 Personnel that number is going to grow exponentially throughout the day there is a large order for resources coming throughout the state and federally for extra Cruise extra engines and for air support okay um with regard to air support about how many um Choppers are out now uh making air drops or retardant drops or water drops I don't have the exact number on the aircraft but we do have helicopters we do have fixed Wing aircraft both making uh water drops on this fire okay uh Chris I'm I'm sure you uh have or could share more insight anything else that you can offer that that we haven't touched on uh which our viewers need to know especially viewers that are living in this area I think the two biggest things we want to share with the public is one be prepared if you're in evacuation warning area get ready have the stuff that you need to evacuate and have a plan have at least two ways to get out of the area that you live in uh the second thing would be stay informed this fire is changing very quickly and it's impossible to predict so we ask the people to stay informed Med of any possible evacuations that might be affecting their area and have plan okay what is the best way they can stay informed are you social media is there a website what what do you recommend yes right now this fire is under unified command by the United States Forest Service San berardino unit calfire and the United excuse me and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department uh their socials are the best way to stay informed and uh we ask them to just stay up on it and be ready to leave at a moment's notice okay uh when you say be prepared I mean what can people do especially those people that are under um the that haven't been ordered out but that are being told they may have to leave what can they be doing right now if they're watching this coverage and saying hey I need to be getting prepared what does that look like just taking all the important documents that you might need to take with you prescriptions and don't forget about your pets the pets okay and there are there are resources for the pets too where they can take the pets if they need to correct and all that information can be located um the Sam County Sheriff's department social media sites okay um any any closures to I know there's two ways you say to to get out but I know also some road closures um are in effect right now because of this fire so how does that impact people possibly trying to plan an Escape Route yes the road closures do play an effect and the largest one being the fact that Highway 330 is closed in both directions so the best advice we can give people is to have a plan um that's why we tell them to have two ways out in casee one isn't work they have another way to safely exit the area okay for the people who um have not been told to leave yet that are under those warnings would you say that it that it might be just best for them to go ahead and and act now instead of waiting or just kind of hang tight and see what happens I would say if you have a warning issued in your area be ready to go have the car ready have your family ready have a plan have those evacuation routes mapped out and if you feel like you need to leave it's okay to leave even though an order has not been issued yet right for sure all right Chris I'm going to ask you um again just if there's anything else that I didn't address that that you think is important to know um are there also any uh sometimes I know we'll see within one area there's kind of a larger Fire And Then There are smaller fires that kind of crop up near that area are there any other fires out there that that you all are also dealing with today on a smaller scale that also are kind of stretching resources out there not that I'm aware of but we we do have uh multiple agencies coming together to help suppress this fire everybody working towards a common goal um that being said we also need the help of the public to make sure this is a success uh we all need to work together and the biggest thing that they can do is be prepared and stay informed okay perfect all right Chris well thank you so much for taking your time to speak with us today um this hasn't been insightful and um good luck out there we're of course keeping an eye on this for our viewers as well all right so we're going to go back now Chris thank you again we're going to go back now to air 7 which you are seeing on the left side of your screen there um which gives a really really really good indication of just how thick the smoke is as a result of this fire blanketing this area um over Highland where this fire um is right now we know that this again started on Thursday but since yesterday within about 24 hours now it has exploded it is the line fire as we're calling it at um 20 24 in 24 hours now growing to 7100 Acres with 0% containment as firefighters are working very diligent as diligently as you heard Chris there describing um to to try to get a handle on this but the conditions out there the heat which we've all felt today and also now thunderstorms that are moving into the area um are causing some issues what was interesting um that Chris shared is that those thunderstorms are creating downdrafts which then Blow The Wind in all different directions so as you can imagine as you're out there trying to battle this fire with these Flames it doesn't help to have the wind then blowing the Flames Every Which Way um and blowing Embers Every Which Way just certainly doesn't help with the firefighting efforts but um at least 500 Personnel on the ground that number growing um state and federal resources just uh firefighting Crews from all over and then in the air uh fixed wi aircrafts and also helicopters that are making various drops um and maybe if we are lucky we will be able to see that happening but again okay the the smoke there U making it difficult to even possibly see that so we're going to speak with now someone who lives in Highland who's impacted by this her name is Celeste and um Celeste are you there can you hear me hi yes I'm here hi Celeste how's it going um I'm I'm sorry that we're having to speak with you under these circumstances but tell us what you are seeing right now um I can see from my back window I am facing towards Lally the mountain it's just very dark um and a bunch of Ashes falling but not so bad and like the orange skies and the sun's just like super red so it smells really bad oh and smells bad so what what you're seeing and what you're smelling indicating that this fire is um in your area now we know you're in Highland are are you someone who's under an evacuation warning right now who's being told to possibly prepare to leave um no we haven't heard anything yet I am a couple blocks away from the Emanuel Baptist Church um we are told if any emergency we just go there um so we have not yet been told just to stay indoors and not to go out it's just really bad conditions so how are how are you dealing with that I would imagine it's a little bit frightening right to be told to stay indoors but you know that you're seeing and smelling and just uh seeing on online on on TV what's happening just right outside your door so how are you kind of dealing with any anxiety around staying in your home knowing what's happening outside so my kids I and my husband we are just seeing locked doors and doors with our humidifiers are humidifiers our air perfi is going and just the AC running just kind of just sitting tight inside not going out at all um our animals are inside so they don't have to we don't have to worry about them with the with the conditions okay uh Chris Prader who we just spoke with said you know people should be prepared and I asked hey what does that look like and he said you know getting um medicines or documents together in case you do have to leave your home has there been any of that that you and your family have been able to do or are those conversations you're having right now to say hey if we do have to leave what what bags are we packing extra emergency backpack in my car as always um but yes just the documents it's always just one big folder and just get ready to go that's all right here just ready to grab and go just ready to grab and go for sure have you um you know this this time of year uh wildfires we we see them often is this something you've experienced before or is this your first time um um no uh what we did just that back in Cal uh when years ago I want to say but back in 20 20 before 2012 uh when the by Lake Ohad I want to say but no I've just always been extra overprepared as always so water with toilet paper um extra food dry Foods everything always ready in a bag to go yeah it's it's certainly a scary situation and then we know too sometimes on the opposite end of this uh in the winter time when there's snowstorms your community also um can be impacted in a significant way by the snowstorms there as well so um kind of the opposite end of that Spectrum um if you can we would love to see I'm sure um whenever you have a chance just what you're seeing from outside your window Celeste if you can send in any videos or pictures for us so we can kind of see what it looks like for somebody who is there just kind of um close to where this fire is burning what are you hearing from Neighbors is there any type of um citizen app or Facebook group where you all are in communication any type of text messages you all are sending back and forth what what are neighbors saying to you oh oh yeah so me and my neighbors cuz I live in a quac um we all are on a group message so we're just all keeping in track okay you guys leaving you guys staying just this whoever is staying people watch out for the houses and but none of us have left or still here and um just buckling it down if we need anything we just uh friend we'll just text each other in one of us run real quick grab it and go okay um how are you staying we appreciate you of course tuning in with us but how else are you kind of staying on top of this is it a lot of um social media viewing are you kind of staying on top of the the agency's web pages what are you doing for those updates um my ring uh all of us Neighbors on the Ring app are keeping in contact with each other and then I'm also on the watch Duty constantly like when it refreshing and checking it and then just working outside as well yeah do do any text messages come through from from the the sheriff's department or anything uh no but my my son's friend's um mother she lives a few blocks more um down and she got a text message to evacuate so uh from the sharff so that's how I know okay we're looking out for this um type of message yeah so so that is at least helpful you know that that if and prayerfully it doesn't come to this for you and your family but if you do have to leave you know you get that notification on your phone from the sheriff and you're able to as you mentioned just grab the items that you already have prepared and um head to the church you said that church um Emanuel was it Emanuel Baptist yeah okay so and so that would be the place that you and your family would then head to um we were we're going to family's house if it gets to that point if we have to leave okay if it gets to that point um you you know you sound great and in good spirits but H can I ask how how are you feeling right now what what's kind of going through your head um I'm just literally just on my phone checking okay we're good we're good uh the most accurate quickly responses we're getting is just on the ring Gap like everyone is just constantly posting it's right here it's right here so when I see okay it's over more further or like oh we got this notification it's right here exactly at the pinpoint I'm like okay it's not that close we're fine so as long as the kids are busy with movies and games we're fine so um I think that's what just if I just keep going and then just knowing okay there's it is we're fine just notifying me yeah um if you don't mind my asking how how old are your kids are they younger a little bit older and then what has their response been to they kind of aware of what's going on um so I have a 5-year-old boy he's just like oh my God and my and I have 11-year-old and she's just like of going through the windows taking videos and pictures and her and her friends are sharing along so they're just kind of like uh not scared of it my son is a little bit but he's just distracted here and there um but other than or that they're just like oh my God I can't believe this is happening right it is such a scary situation so our hearts definitely go out for you and your family great to hear that you have not been evacuated but um just a situation that you don't necessarily want to find yourself in knowing that a fire is so close to your home uh one last thing for you uh we know that there's some thunderstorms in the area have you seen heard any Thunder seen any rain um I've heard there's rain happening but from where I'm at um I have not had any rain or thunderstorm so we've still been uh clear from that as well okay all right well Celeste I believe that's all you know we we've covered all of it in terms of what you're seeing what you're hearing what your family is going through anything else you want to add if you have any neighbors out there that are hearing you and saying hey that's our neighbor Celeste what what are kind of some words that of encouragement you can share for them um just hang in there hang tight and uh we just kind of just all sit together and just constantly keep checking the ring and social media to keep us um up to date with everything for sure well Celeste we certainly appreciate your time today as you're dealing with this we appreciate you making time to kind of fill us in on what's going on up there and we'll be in touch with you throughout the evening and again if you have any um you know pictures or videos that you're able to get over to us uh those would certainly help us also paint the picture of what's happening in your community Celeste thank you so much oh yeah yeah I've been sending all morning I have a I do photography so I woke up at 5:00 A.M 6 took photos and sent them on over so since since five and six have you seen the conditions kind of deteriorate from what you're seeing on on your camera oh yeah like definitely a big change different from now so around six um there's a straight up pass going up all the way by past Boulder and the houses right there literally so close right there and I was able to get a good clear view I had sent those over as well so between then and by like I want to say I think it was like around before 12 or 1 and that's when I seen a big jump like so fast yeah so within kind of a few hours it seems like uh once once things really heated up out there um the fire and a little breeze as well we're getting a little breeze okay all right well Celeste stay safe thank you again for your time and yes I I'm sure I I haven't seen those images but I'm glad to hear that um we we have them here and I'm sure we'll get them on air at some point this afternoon thank you so much for your time as well have a good one you too Celeste thank you all right we're going to take a look now I believe at some of the rain that um was happening in Apple Valley um a bit earlier today um again one of the things that was shared about this fire and firefighting efforts are now there are thunderstorms in the area that have caused um a couple issues for Crews that are there um the lightning um creating an issue and also downdrafts which are um I just learned when the the wind is kind of blowing in various different directions so as fire Crews have been working in some really tough conditions out there uh 100 plus degree temperatures they've also then had these thunderstorms come into the area which have caused issues as they try to fight this fire in this video here um that we were just showing from Apple Valley you can actually see that a tree there kind of blowing in the wind kind of all different directions you see the leaves going every which way uh which kind of serves as an example of what I was mentioning about those downdrafts which were explained to me as the wind moving in various different directions which then creates an issue for the firefighters because they don't know kind of which way to go or which way to stand or which way to be safest as they try to battle this line fire right now all right so we just spoke with Celeste um who lives in Highland she shared what she and her neighbors are dealing with and going through uh which was helpful for us to hear from her and then also Chris Prader as well so let's go ahead and go over right now again as you're looking at this evacuation map here for the area we got evacuation orders in place for all of Running Springs and arobar Lake um so that is an order that people living there have to now evacuate their homes no questions asked um also the area east of orchid um Orchard Road in Clover Hill from Highland Avenue North to the Foothills in Highland and again people living in those areas being told they must evacuate right now um and get out as soon as possible with um their belongings hopefully they're prepared and don't just have to um leave with without vital things like documents and medicines as well then there are also some warnings we uh want to mention meaning that residents in these areas need to be prepared to evacuate and those are for parts of East Highland those neighborhoods east of Church Street north of Highland Avenue uh the neighborhoods east of Weaver north of greenspot and then the Iron Bridge for people who do have to evacuate uh there is the Emanuel Baptist Church on Baseline Street in Highland celest who we just spoke with over the phone mentioned that that is just a short distance from where she lives and she knows some of her neighbors are speaking about possibly having to go there she mentioned us she would actually go to a family members home uh which is helpful but if you do not have close family uh Emanuel Baptist Church on Baseline Street in Highland is where you would head and then also okay we're going to speak with someone now uh Bianca in Highland I believe um also an animal shelter I want to mention D'Or animal shelter in San Bernardino if you have pets so bianka uh do do you have me and if you can start by just telling me what you're seeing right now out of your window and and how you're feeling yes hi Michelle um I can see the fire int intensifying and it's more to the west but it's it's moving pretty fast okay what indicates to you that it's moving fast are you seeing that the Flames are getting brighter is it kind of blowing see the Flames um going brighter and the fire Personnel are zooming across the street from me what a wow what what a FR I can see a bulldozer climbing up the hill so but but right now you are being told uh that there's an evacuation warning for you or yes I'm under evacuation warning okay so uh how are you feeling just seeing all this what what's what's going through your head um I'm feeling a little nervous um I will probably be actually leaving my house soon I'm one literally one street away from the evacu mandatory evacuation orders okay so leaving your house then have you have you been spending some time getting things together what what has it looked like to kind of prepare for having to leave your home and it with these Flames quickly approaching um I started to get some clothes together and some important um family heirlooms and as well as my dog supplies yeah well okay so you have a pet too what kind of dog do you have um she's a pitbull a pitbull okay how's she doing how is she is she kind of aware of the commotion that's going on does she smell the smoke how's she reacting um she's fine she's been sleepy most of the time we just take her out to use the restroom really quickly and immediately bring her back in yeah the dogs they have that luxury right of sleeping through and not having to worry while while the humans are trying to figure out and scramble what happens next okay so you mentioned we so who who all is in your family and who all will be evacuating and where do you all plan to go are you going to Emanual Baptist or do you have um a family friend or family members I have a family member okay it's um me my parents and my brother okay you your parents and your brother um and and you so you said you know getting getting a bag together um important documents um you we were told earlier you know kind of have two routes that that you can escape so so to speak I know Escape is kind of a very scary word but two evacuation routes um but we know Highway 330 is closed in both directions so if you have to get out of there what what does that look like for you in terms of travel um I'm off of Highland Avenue so I'm going to go directly down the hill until I hit Boulder okay sounds good that you have that plan and you already know hey if we have to hit the road this is what this is going to look like for us have you have you experienced any other wildfires have you ever had to go through something like this once um about maybe four years ago there was a fire um across from us kind of on the same Hill but not definitely not as big yeah not as big I'm right off the 3:30 okay yeah and just to hear you describe it too with you saying that you can see the fire Personnel kind of zipping back and forth in the bulldozers I mean it sounds like this is very uh very close to you um and just also too I'll ask you have you seen the rain or heard those thunderstorms in the area I have definitely heard the thunderstorms and we even seen some lightning strikes hitting the hill wow and when so you you saw the lightning um actually you know hit the hill did that kind of did did you see the crews at all have to kind of retreat and then kind of back up a little bit or when that lightning happened they continued on with what they were doing it was way too Smokey to be able to see anything okay them so how are you staying on top of all of this are you texting with your neighbors are you just on socials have you gotten any kind of message from the sheriff on your phone via text message um I've actually been um sharing videos and updates with my community because not everyone is getting the same information clear about evacuation warnings or orders or some aren't even notified at all so I've been using social media as a tool to um connect with them and I've also been driving around and I've seen our wonderful neighbors neighbors donating food giving water and mask and everyone's just looking out for each other up here yeah do you have any type of a mask on are you using any type of air purifier running in your home right now um we're using n95 okay so so you and your family have your masks on your bags kind of packed and ready and then just your your phone handy to stay up updated yes how are your other family members doing I know you sound like you're in a relatively good spirits how about your parents and your brother what what are they saying to you and how how are they feeling this afternoon I think we're all um in a similar mindset um we're pretty calm pretty calm cool cool heads prevail right in situations like this if if you can prevent prevent freaking out I'm sure that helps too you know what what what can you do besides just pay attention to what officials are saying and if you have to um to leave your home um leave your home anything else Bianca that you can share just about what what you're seeing what I know you mentioned that it's a lot of Thick Smoke in in the area so it kind of makes it hard to see but out of your window you said also some Flames what do those look like um they're moving pretty fast and they're pretty pretty bright and the smoke is um really dark yeah oh what a what a scary situation you and your family are in um I know you've been speaking with our assignment desk um and they they help set up this conversation so um if you are able to you know continue to get us pictures and videos that we can share here online that's certainly helpful as we um You Know cover cover this fire um in your backyard literally Bianca all right Bianca well thank you so much um again we've been speaking with um this young lady Bianca who lives in Highland she says her and her family are preparing to um evacuate they are one street over from where um individuals are already being told to evacuate so she is kind of bracing for the reality that maybe um she gets notification from the sheriff soon that she and her family are going to have to evacuate and if so Bianca says that she's going to go to um a family member's home which is not far away um and she's just going to go she has her evacuation route planned and um is ready to to possibly do that yeah so we're going to take a look at um some photos now um Celeste who we just spoke with um about five or so minutes ago before we were speaking with Bianca sharing these photos for us she mentioned she's a photographer and she sent these in for um us she is one of the people living in Highland right now she says that she um is not under an evacuation order or warning right now but she is prepared possibly to have to evacuate so um you can see in this photo here um it just changed but you can see that that kind of fire line is that fire um Burns there and then she spoke with us about some of the conditions in terms of the smoke being uh smelling really bad and I think that picture uh the the picture that was a little bit more orange there kind of really encompasses um the smokiness of this community um and if you look kind of closer to the street to how how it's foggy there um these are from again Celeste who lives in Highland she shared these with us from her backyard or her window of of what it looked like in her backyard and I believe when I spoke with her she said that those photos were taken earlier but since then the fire she said I believe has moved a lot closer to her in where she lives in her community again um in Highland not being told uh she has to evacuate yet but taking those precautions there after seeing with her own camera lens just how bad the conditions were out there and um looking in her back looking through her window and seeing what was going on there so um for those of us who maybe um Can safely take any pictures or videos we would also love to see what you're seeing um from from your homes certainly if you can take them through a window that might be a better idea than than having to step outside in these conditions but if you are able to do that there is a QR code that you see right there on your screen on the bottom left all you have to do is just go ahead and scan that code um you'll be taken to our website abc7.com stips if you want to enter that in manually and there is a link there where you can go ahead and upload pictures and videos you can share with us in details what we're seeing and also if you're able to maybe we'll can get in contact with you and speak with you on air too about how this fire is impacting your Saturday afternoon all right um we are also following of course you know extreme heat out there so um if you just take a look at um what we're seeing right now um from Air 7 they U do have the locator map on for us which shows kind of what we're looking at State Highway 18 there um and it's kind of hard to see partially because of just the Smoky conditions out there but um it gives you a good idea of where this fire and where the Smoky conditions are thickest right now as we zoom in so Green Spot Road um I believe was one of the roads that was mentioned in the evacuation orders for us or maybe that was warnings I think um yeah warning so um that area yeah that area of green spot is under a warning but again let's go over right now where people are being ordered to evacuate so we have all of Running Springs in arob Bear Lake um the area east of Orchid Road Orchard Road excuse me to Clover Hill from Highway High Highland Avenue North to the Foothills in Highland um so orders meaning people that are being ordered to leave have to to do so immediately and and get out of their homes and either go to um you know the safest place of shelter which we know there's a church um that's taking evacuees also the couple people that we spoke with said luckily they have um a relative in the area that can take them in in this situation uh we also want to go over to I believe the warnings right now so these are for residents that need to be using this time to prepare to evacuate so that's getting together um their important documents clothing um any medications prescription medicines that they might need those areas um are for parts of East Highland and they include the neighborhoods that are east of Church Street north of Highland Avenue and neighborhoods east of Weaver north of greenspot to the Iron Bridge as mentioned for people that do have to evacuate and maybe do not have relative close by or a family friend in the area there is an evacuation shelter at Emanuel Baptist Church on Baseline Street in Highland also for those people who have pets uh they can take their pets to the dvor animal shelter in San Bernardino if you do have to evacuate and again the conditions uh South Coast Air Quality Management District extending a smoke advisory for the area as well so what we're seeing right now if you look on your screen there um air7 just getting a glimpse at um a fixed wi aircraft that um is coming was coming from the the Smoky area there um indicating possibly some type of um drop as as they you know do in these situations with water and a fire retardant to try to get a hold of this fire at last check which is since we've been on air covering this and um this afternoon this fire is 0% contained uh more than 7100 Acres uh but firefighters really working diligently on the ground and on the air as you're seeing this um fixed wi aircraft right now to try to start containing some of it so it's not continuing to spread there um and so we're zooming out now but maybe we'll be able to see through that smoke just what it looks like is that um aircraft kind of goes into that area and and drops um you know the the retardant to try to get a hold on some of these Flames ground video as you're seeing on your right hand side gives you kind of a closer look of what it looks like beneath the smoke that you're seeing on the left hand side there so these are you know Flames that are very active burning up up this Hillside as the wind seems to be blowing in that direction um some bulldozers and fire Crews there that kind of bulldoze on those fire lines to try to prevent the fire from from jumping from one area to the next if you look towards the bottom of the screen there um there seems to be what appears to me is some type of Ridge or retaining wall or something which maybe would indicate homes are um clo close to that area maybe possibly on the side of the screen that we're not seeing and the these Flames just not not at all far away it's uh a little bit too close to comfort right if you're living in in these communities um and we we did speak with several individuals um one young lady Bianca who told us just um outside of her window the the street over from her there were active Flames that she could see so you know imagine being in that situation and in her shoes and uh what that feels like what what you have to do and kind of mentally prepare for having to leave your home and not just hoping and and praying that firefighters will be able to stop the the Flames from getting to your property now um we're seeing the Flames we're seeing the smoke another thing that has been an issue for firefighters here is thunderstorms that have now moved into the area which this is this is my ignorance on on firefighting but you would almost think that the rain and the precipitation and the wet conditions would make help to cool things off but I was told and informed um by Chris Prader who we spoke with that that actually creates issues with lightning number one which Bianca uh told us that she could see some Lightnings hitting the hillside from her from her windows so it's the lightning that becomes an issue obviously if it's already hot already heat um hot conditions out there lightning is only going to intensify things right and then also downdrafts and and the wind blowing in different directions every which way which then creates a problem for the firefighters who are already battling these extreme heat and conditions and then having to um try to predict and likely um you know try to avoid the the fire burning one way or another in their Direction so just overall a really difficult situation for our firefighters we were told um there are at least um but this number is growing at least 500 fire Personnel um state and federal resources being pouring in poured into this fire um you know Crews on the ground also crews in the air um this is uh you know fire Crews from all over all over the area being called in to uh the Highland area for the line fire um which as we understand moving also toward Running Springs a bit um the good news that that I do want to highlight um that Chris Prader shared is based off of what he knows right now no structures have been damaged so while we can understand especially based off those conversations we had with Celeste and Bianca while structure may be threatened as as far as Chris was able to tell tell us and share No structures have actually been damaged so um just hats off to Firefighters who are doing everything that they can in their power um to make sure that people in these areas that their homes are not damaged um as as well so um again what you're looking at right now on your right hand side photos shared from uh Celeste who lives in Highland we spoke with her probably about 10 15 minutes ago at this point um she just shared that she is not being told to evacuate right now she's not under a warning or order but she knows that based off of what she's seeing based off of uh the smoke she's seeing based off of the smell and and what that smoke smells like that she knows the SP is close to her home uh she has two uh young kids um who are you know she's trying to keep busy with uh you know having them just enjoy some movies and and kind of not drawing too much attention to it but also in the back of her mind as you can imagine she is trying to prepare her family for possibly having to evacuate their home just a scary situation she shared these photos I say all of that to say she shared these photos of um just the conditions out there this morning um for her you can see how hazy it is you can see how orange it is that's from the Flames that's from the smoke and she said that those conditions since she took that photo have only intensified have only gotten worse so if that's what that looked like earlier today now at 6 o' uh we can only imagine how how much worse it's it's gotten um and then this photo here that she shared um saying now that the that fire has moved closer to her from where she took it so again if you are able to safely share photos or videos we want to see what it looks like from your backyard we want to see what it looks like out of your window there is a QR code on your screen there abc7.com tips if you want to enter that website manually just scan the code there or go to the website um you can do it on your phone you can do it on your um laptop your desktop and share with us what you're seeing and we will share that here on air on Eyewitness News as well so uh I'm being joined Now by uh Joey Rand who's here too he I knows has been kind of following this and updating and can update us on what he knows right and so we just want to welcome everyone who is watching us here streaming on ABC7 um on our app on our website um this is the line fire of course burning east of Highland it broke out on Thursday and res resents there have kind of been watching this churning off in the distance for the last couple of days there were evacuation orders set in place today there were evacuation warnings set for other neighborhoods and that is uh for folks who need to be ready to leave well those have been ramped up here as this fire has now exploded to more than 7,000 Acres burning in um Highland and so you see the M the uh the video here with the map interlaid on top of it just what we're dealing with this the air quality out there there's a smoke advisory from this fire and it's understandable why it looks like it is just hanging around the hope is after it being so hot for so long now that once the sun goes down you get a little bit of relief typically we do see that fires tend to die down once the sun goes down but it has been staying so hot even at night that you're really not going to get that Aid that you normally get from just the temperature cooling things down whatever they can they can do uh firefighters welcome that help every night but we're just not seeing that it's a it's a very atypical Southern California Heat Wave where the knights are really staying it's not just the fact that they're staying warm they're remaining hot I mean we're seeing places in the upper 80s and the uh 90s at midnight which is just unheard of in Southern California this Mediterranean climate uh climate and so um this is uh this is becoming a problem but I did hear you say that it doesn't sound like structures have been damaged at at this time and at this time yes that's what Chris Prader um with the San berardo County Fire told us um that was about 30 minutes ago at this point um but you know just to hear uh Bianca and Celeste who were kind enough to um call in and share with us I mean just to imagine I've never been in this situation I'm sure some of our viewers maybe possibly have unfortunately to to look out of your window and just see Flames literally coming and approaching to your home even though no structures have been damaged there's um a threat that a lot of structures in homes could could be damaged um but firefighters just you know doing all they can in this this these conditions to to try to prevent that from happening I I can only imagine what what it feels like under all that Gear with the conditions out there and with flames burning feet away from you to have to have to do this right and you talk to Residents who are affected by fires every time they say they're watching the smoke they realize it's close some are hoping it kind of turns and burns another way or the firefighters will be able to mitigate the the approach of the fire um until it until it doesn't you know you think you're fine until you're not and so you watch this thing burning in the distance and you always think what are you going to do how much time will we have will we have enough time that's why uh everyone is advised to have all their their things together have any medications that you need have any paperwork that you would need in the event that your home is lost but just look at this smoke it is overwhelming our shot here there's the cloud cover but there is just so much smoke being poured off of this large Fire 7100 and I believe 22 was the last count of acreage that has burned this thing is turned into a monster and uh for folks who thought that it wasn't going to be a problem it looks like now for some areas this is indeed going to be a problem you can see on the bottom right the it looks like in red areas that are affected with warnings and advisories um but there are evacuation orders in place let's give you the rundown here all of Running Springs and arrow Bear Lake those are Evac uation I believe those are evacuation orders so if you are in those areas you need to evacuate now also east of Orchard Road to Clover Hill from Highland Avenue North to the Foothills these are orders so if you are living in these areas you must evacuate now okay there are also some warnings that people uh residents who live there they are being told to prepare to evacuate so they don't have to leave right now um but certainly should be using this time to possibly be prepared those are parts of East East Highland those include neighborhoods east of Church Street north of Highland Avenue and neighborhoods east of Weaver north of greenspot to the Iron Bridge there is an evacuation shelter for people who do have to leave their homes at Emanuel Baptist Church that's on Baseline Street in Highland there's also an animal evacuation shelter at D'Or animal shelter that's in San Bernardino County and it also um just a warning from the south coast Air Quality Management District that the smoke in the area um is unhealthy to breathe um be Ana I believe told us when we spoke with her that she and her family are in their home and they're wearing n95 masks so uh you do want to be cautious even if you're not in the area of a warning or an order if you do have to step outside of your home maybe to walk your dog um to maybe put some type of mask on um also if you have an air um an air purifier that you can just kind of run in your home um you know maybe it would be a great time to to go ahead and turn that on because the the air quality because of the smoke which we're seeing right there on our screen is just uh so poor right now because of this fire yeah this is a widespread fire and just to kind of emphasize the point when the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department put out notice of these evacuation orders it reads effective immediately with a little flashing red light and the area that's under the orders and then spells orders in all caps they are not messing around these are orders you are now ordered by the San Bernardino County Sheriff to evacuate it is not safe and we have seen in past fires when folks try to stick around for too long what it does is you're diverting resources from the actual firefight to rescue operations if people need to be saved from their home you're taking firefighters who normally would be on the front lines trying to stop this fire and now they have to look elsewhere to try and save you from your home when you were ordered to evacuate in the first place so this is no joke they are serious if you are in those areas you must evacuate now and see some shelter okay let's go ahead and get to Shayla Gerard now she can uh give us just more details on this fire the conditions out there hi Shayla yeah really dangerous setup when we talk about the conditions that these fire crews are facing we are talking about not only very hot weather we've all been feeling these temperatures over the past several days but also really dry conditions coming off the week we just had so we do have this Red Flag Warning you can see impacting much of Southern California including the area where that fire is burning and this is going to be sticking around for several more days we are talking about hot dry conditions not only tonight but as we head into tomorrow as well the other thing to keep keep in mind is these are the conditions where we could see more fires pop up so it's very important that everyone stays very mindful while we continue to deal with windy dry and of course that excessive heat we've been feeling all week long so excessive heat warning still in effect as we head uh into our higher elevations into the IE we're talking about temperatures well into the triple digits this heat wave we've been feeling extending just day after day certainly going to be a big concern for those fire crews out there as they continue to battle these Flames all part of the reason why we saw this fire just explode so quickly you can see right now from our blue rid sky cam we have Smoky Skies a lot out there in the distance many of you are probably already noticing uh the air quality out there this afternoon you're smelling that smoke you're feeling it when you're when you're breathing Palm dough right now coming in 97° so taking a look at the temperatures this is not helping uh fire crews out there this afternoon and into this evening as we head out into higher elevations rightwood Big Bear you're in the 70s out to the IE towards where this fire is burning very hot and we've also seen that thunderstorm activity earlier today that also adds to those chances to spark a wildfire as well and just look at these temperatures I mean this says it all vanise Burbank Woodland Hills Chino Hills all coming in very close to that triple digit Mark or higher as we're approaching 6:30 p.m. this evening now winds this is a good news it hasn't been as windy as what we've seen earlier in the week you can see as we head out to where that fire is burning we are seeing some Breezy conditions most of you are feeling those winds in the teens so definitely not ideal for those fire Crews but we're not dealing with these big Santa Ana winds that can make these fires that much more difficult uh to fight right now San Bernardino coming in in the teens rightwood in the single digits um Riverside they'll also seeing the wind speeds in the teens so not ideal for these Crews but not as bad as it could be air quality right now again this is all effects from that smoke you're definitely feeling it if you step out the door as you head out into the IE that is red it's unhealthy for everyone so we've heard about people indoors with their n95 masks if you can stay inside try not to let the outside in keep those windows closed have those air filters on and I want to show you this real quick so this is the wind forecast right where that line fire is burning this is the good news for those Crews so we do have another couple hours of what we could see are some breezier conditions wind speeds could even creep up into the teens and these are sustained winds so gust definitely could be higher than this but look what happens when we head into this evening so 8 9 10 p.m. those winds really going to die down into the single digits that's really going to help those crews even though the temperatures is still going to stay really hot and then starting to ramp up again as we head into tomorrow morning so that definitely a silver lining for the cruise but overall we are talking about dangerous conditions we've got the heat in the mix J and Michelle uh we have those dry conditions that we've seen all week long and we are coming off of a massive heat wave so all a big part of why this fire was able to just gain momentum uh today so quickly all right W Shayla thank you so much for that insight there uh we want to also get to some new uh video just into um our Newsroom this is ground video um that was sent 10 uh we want to say um just a short time ago so within the last like hour or so this has been um video that's been taken and you can see just the conditions there in terms of the smoke that you makes it difficult to even see through the homes there there um also just how close to these homes and even there it looks like well that that looks like hillsides that are um a hillside that's Burning uh there but this uh video was sent in in in the Highland area okay here we go um Cru battling um a fire there that's very close to a property um so you can see the conditions that firefighters are having to work through and just how thick the smoke is I mean through through the camera we're barely able to see it yeah and you're watching this video for the first time as as we are this is just into our Newsroom and you can see just what firefighters out there are dealing with this is widespread and it is very close to properties you can see just over that hill this man on the roof of his house looks like taking video not spraying down his home right taking video and just behind these homes I mean we are talking about a fire that is uh getting pretty close to properties and it's some scary stuff there there are we saw firefighters on scene and we know there have been uh aerial assaults on this fire but they can only do so much this is such a large fire at this point looks like there are so many burn points I just saw a video from Keller Peak and you could see in the distance from that vantage point that there are several large plumes of smoke spread out so resources have to be spread rather thin at this point you can see the heat coming off of these fires uh you get a little fire NATO going at certain points but this is uh this is big trouble and if you are in those evacuation zones as we have told you it is time to leave it is time to get out your things should have already been packed a lot of vehicles I I'm sure this person right here has to be in an evacuation Zone and hopefully they get the notice again because we don't want to be we don't want to be covering a fire first of all but we really don't want to be talking about a fire with any fatalities you can see that view on the left side of your screen it looks like an explosion this looks like the aftermath of what you see after an explosion and it is a fire that has been raging since Thursday but really picking up all of that fuel today and just and just going it has exploded in size now more than 7100 acres and it looks like some homes might be in danger this evening yeah and too really what stands out to me um in this new video that we're taking a look at right now especially um on some is is the the wind you see kind of Every Which Way that the trees are blowing um there and just how strong those winds are which um makes things more difficult a right it's makes the fire spread more rapidly and B too um just it was mentioned um Chris Prader with s bero County Fire mentioned that all of those drafts in the various directions makes it difficult for firefighters to try to get on one side or the other to to then attack the fire from one particular direction so um it's just uh kind of Murphy's Law with this uh the heat the the fire the winds the lightning it's just all kind of compounding right and we're talking about if you know this area Running Springs arob Bear Lake all of Running Springs all of arob Bear Lake have been placed under evacuation order and then the area east of Orchard Road to Clover Hill Highland AB North to the Foothills in Highland so this is a large area those those two areas are fairly spread out so the road through Running Springs and arrow Bear Lake if they under evacuation orders that is going to affect the road up to Big Bear and I saw I I don't know if we have anything elastic this was 5 hours old but Big Bear put out notice that they the roads are still open that may have changed uh within the last couple of hours I would imagine with the changes in the evacuation orders if the fire is affecting that portion of town that there might be some closures on those roadways but as of last check um city of big bear said sr38 sr18 Sr 330 remain open but again that might be dated at this time we have to wait and see the Cal Trans map does not show any closures we know Highway 330 yeah closed in both directions now so that's at least um that that highway I know some of the others you mentioned I don't know but Highway 330 we know closed in both directions so if you um are in that warning area official say kind of go into that with two possible routes to evacuate um so you do want to be mindful that some of the routes that you would maybe normally take um may be closed right now um but again if you are are in this area um use this time uh to prepare and and pack your bags and um check on your neighbors we're told too that some people got notification that they had to evacuate via a text message from um the sheriff so um definitely have your phone charged in handy um and ready and you know just our our hearts too go out to I can't imagine you know what what the anxiety that the The Neighbors in this neighborhood you know feel having having to see this and maybe that's kind of also too you know you mentioned the guy we saw the guy that's on on the roof taking the video you know it's just wanting to kind of capture wow this is what's happening to me and kind of that urgency there of like this can't be real let me let me just get a video of what what I'm experiencing and what this looks like so I hopefully he's safe and yeah yeah depth of field could be a little bit too it those Flames could be further than they appear on this camera so it could be a ridge or two over but man with as dry and as hot as things have been as we have learned unfortunately too many times over again these fires can move very quickly uh but again this is the line fire burning in Highland and up to Running Springs in Arrow Bear Lake uh it we can't emphasize enough how dangerous the conditions are right now both for for people whose homes are threatened with the fire itself and those in the vicinity who have to breathe now this toxic air the air quality is problematic and if you can stay indoors if you are able to stay indoors you are advised to do that but if you are under evacuation warning um you need to get out of your house right now yeah and I I believe we're taking a look right now at our Big Bear camera there um you can see just just how Smoky it is and how um how people have shared with us not only that it's like the smoke is an issue for what they're seeing and what that means for the fire but also just breathing in the Smoke um one person that we spoke with earlier um whose name Celeste who lives in Highland say that it's the smell is is really hard she it smells bad you know and and they're having to deal with that now um and we know that there is also um advisory in terms of the air quality so even if you're not being impacted um by possible Flames approaching your home and being told to evacuate or being warned that you may have to evacuate if you are in this area um you do want to be cautious as you step outside as Jory just mentioned um maybe an a mask um maybe some type of air um purifier what is it called yeah like a he filter hel yeah I have one uh running at my house right now for my not not because of the fire but yeah just you know just be cautious um a as these conditions are uh I we want to say hopefully getting better but based off the information that we have right now um just 0% containment under some really difficult really difficult um conditions out there for firefighters and this is night three of the firefight so these guys have to be rather spent already this is 72 hours of um fighting this fire Around the Clock we do want to let you know uh for those who are evacuated or those who might have to be evacuated there is that shelter set up at Emanuel Baptist Church on Baseline Street the Red Cross and Animal Control are on site to assist both humans and animals if you need shelter or support you can head there there are also other animal care resources from the line fire if you need to evacuate pets and