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Old Water fire burns 105 acres as afternoon flareup fans flames
by Richard K. De Atley, Alma Fausto
The Old Water fire that broke out early Thursday morning, Oct. 24, along Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon was stoked by the afternoon winds as it moved toward 40th Street in San Bernardino.
The afternoon flareup increased the scorched acreage to 105.
“I was convinced it was completely done,” said Sam Catalano, who lives on Mariposa Lane, referring to the fire. “It looked like they had put out all the hot spots, and then there was a wall of flame – you could see it, big smoke coming up just around the curve of the hill.”
The blaze ignited in the early morning hours on Thursday, near Old Waterman Canyon Road and Highway 18, very near where the Old Fire started on Oct. 25, 2003, 16 years ago Friday, and led to evacuations of about 80 homes in the area.
A bulldozer cuts a fire break just north of 40th Street as the Old Water Fire flares up and makes an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A firefighter works to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire behind a home on David Way as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
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Residents watch as the Old Water Fire makes an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters battle the Old Water Fire that started Thursday, October 24, 2019 along Highway 18 in San Bernardino, CA. (OnScene.TV)
A firefighter works to put out hot spots from the Old Water fire off Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A hand crew stands atop a hill as they watch for hot spots from the Old Water fire in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters battle the Old Water Fire that started Thursday, October 24, 2019 along Highway 18 in San Bernardino, CA. (OnScene.TV)
Firefighters battle the Old Water Fire that started Thursday, October 24, 2019 along Highway 18 in San Bernardino, CA. (OnScene.TV)
Firefighters battle the Old Water Fire that started Thursday, October 24, 2019 along Highway 18 in San Bernardino, CA. (OnScene.TV)
Firefighters battle the Old Water Fire that started Thursday, October 24, 2019 along Highway 18 in San Bernardino, CA. (OnScene.TV)
A firefighter stands watch near a home on David Way after the Old Water fire burned approximately 75 acres in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters put out hot spots from the Old Water fire off Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters put out hot spots from the Old Water fire off Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters put out hot spots from the Old Water fire off Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
San Bernardino County fire and the National Forest Service work to put out a wildfire that started early Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 that prompted the evacuation of about 80 homes and had burned 75 acres in San Bernardino as of 6 a.m. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A hand crew works on the hill above homes as firefighters put out hot spots from the Old Water fire off Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Highway 18 is still currently closed at 40th Street due to the Old Water fire in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters gather at the command post for the Old Water fire at Wildwood Park in San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Crews work on a hillside above homes as they put out hot spots from the Old Water fire off Highway 18 in Waterman Canyon above San Bernardino Thursday morning Oct. 24, 2019. The fire started in the early morning hours Thursday and has currently burned approximately 75 acres. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Authorities have Waterman Ave. closed at 40th Street in San Bernardino due to a wildfire that started early Thursday, Oct. 24 and prompted the evacuation of about 80 homes and had burned 75 acres in San Bernardino as of 6 a.m. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The Old Water fire started early Thursday morning, Oct. 24, 2019, forcing the evacuation of 80 homes in San Bernardino. (Photo courtesy of Mike Myers)
Hand crews arrive to work to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters work to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Hand crews arrive to work to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A pair of firefighters try to cut a lock on a gate as they work to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters wait along 40th Street as the Old Water Fire approaches their position as the fire made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A palm tree smolders behind a home on David Way as firefighters work to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A helicopter makes a water drop on a hot spot during a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Bushes smolder near 40th Street as the Old Water Fire made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters work to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Firefighters pull hose as they work to put out a flare up of the Old Water Fire as it made an aggressive afternoon push down to 40th Street in San Bernardino on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. A heavy aerial attack kept flames from jumping south of 40th Street. Homes along David Way were briefly threatened. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
No homes had been lost in the fire, officials with San Bernardino County fire said about 4 p.m. However, the flames did come close.
Firefighters from the California Office of Emergency Services were parked along Mariposa Lane and quickly ran lines to the backyards of homes as the fire kicked up in the afternoon. The flareup did not prompt any new evacuation orders however fire officials warned residents to be ready.
The flareup raced along a creek bed filled with brush and then down an embankment from homes on Mariposa Lane. A small creek actually still flows through the middle of the bed.
“Within a matter of like less than five minutes … It came right on by,” Catalano said. “It was pretty windy then and between the ashes and the smoke, it’s hard to tell what’s happening.“
Containment remained at 30 percent, even after the flare-up, as 400 personnel worked to quell the flames, according to officials with the San Bernardino National Forest.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Mandatory evacuation orders were in place in the section of north San Bernardino near Arrowhead Road, Mariposa Drive and David Way.
Voluntary evacuation orders set Thursday morning for all homes north of Foothill Drive between Del Rosa Avenue and Manzanita Drive were lifted by midday.
The blaze was moving south and northeast into the Coldwater Canyon area, officials said.
Officials said wind gusts were up to 50 miles per hour on the ridge tops. National Forest officials said there was a “potential for large growth” as the Santa Ana winds pick up as expected.
“We are making some good progress,” said Zach Behrens of the San Bernardino National Forest.
“The only flank of concern right now is the northeast flank. While Santa Ana winds push toward the ocean, they do mix it up a bit in the canyons.”
There was an air attack by helicopter overnight, but Behrens said that had to stop for a bit before sunrise because of the winds.
Winds predawn were 50 mph on ridgetops, pretty much zero below those elevations, but it was picking up throughout the area after sunrise, he said.
“The fire is burning in some pretty thick underbrush, and one ember can reignite outside the line, and there’s a lot of dry brush in that area,” said Tracey Martinez, a San Bernardino County Fire Department spokeswoman. “The wind, with the velocity it is at right now, could quickly push the fire down into homes.”
Martinez said county firefighters had staged overnight in Devore to be ready for any outbreak of a fire in the area. Once the blaze began, resources arrived quickly, setting up a defense.
Southern California Edison warned that more than 300,000 customers could have their power shut down Wednesday because of high winds and the risk of fires as strong Santa Ana winds move into the area.
Cal State San Bernardino announced late Wednesday that campus would be closed Thursday because of concerns about high winds and the possibility that power could be shut down. No decision had been made about whether classes would resume Friday.
A red-flag warning is also in place for the area where the Old Water fire is burning. Much of Southern California is under the red-flag warning through 5 p.m. Friday evening.
A Red Cross evacuation center has been set up at San Gorgonio High School, at 2299 Pacific St. in San Bernardino. City animal control, 333 W Chandler Place, has offered to house smaller animals temporarily. Anyone with horses or livestock can contact animal control about space availability.
On Thursday morning, Chehab El Awar and his wife, Bricia, took a back road in their off-road vehicle to look at the Old Water fire’s path.
They live on David Way, one of the areas ordered to evacuate, but chose to stay put.
El War said he didn’t leave because he believes he is “ready,” adding that he has a clearance around his home he estimated to be around 300 feet by 400 feet.
In the wee hours, the couple saw firefighters moving up the hill “like a centipede … Into the flames, and they cut anything that comes in their way,” El War said.
Bricia said she kept repeating “get ready, get ready, get ready“ as the fire initially grew. But as it tamed, the couple made coffee for firefighters and let them use a bathroom.
The fast-moving blaze also forced the closure of Highway 18 in San Bernardino between 40th Street and Highway 138 in Crestline, officials said.
This was the second fire in San Bernardino this week, driven by the Santa Ana winds. On Monday, the Little Mountain fire in the city destroyed two homes, damaged six others and led to six people being injured.
The cause of that fire remains under investigation.
While Southern California is being pummeled from Santa Ana winds, Northern California is also feeling the effects.
