4 Houses Near Big Bear Lake Lost to Flames

Fire swept through more than 100 acres of brush and trees in the eastern end of Big Bear Valley on Monday afternoon, destroying four homes and heavily damaging five others.

The flames in the dry Lake Baldwin area were contained by 6:30 p.m., after helicopters doused them with water from a local sewage treatment plant and air tankers hauled water from hydrants six miles away.

No injuries were reported.

Barbara Ward, who has lived in her cabin with her husband since they built it four years ago, said she was watching television when the fire began about 1:30 p.m. She said her son, who lives nearby, telephoned to warn her that flames were on the ridge in back.

The fire badly scorched the sides of her home and consumed surrounding pinons and pines.

“We can fix everything that’s gone, except the trees,” she said.

Candace Gregory, San Bernardino County fire battalion chief, said that of the nine structures destroyed or damaged by the flames, only two had the required 30-foot brush clearance. She also said lack of water and erratic winds were problems for the 250 firefighters.

Joining in the fight were the U.S. Forest Service, the state Department of Forestry, the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the federal Bureau of Land Management and the Big Bear City Fire Department. Crews were expected to continue mopping up through the night.

The cause was not immediately determined.