Fire in Summit Valley

A wildland fire was reported shortly before 8:40 am this morning in the Summit Valley area south of the City of Hesperia, California. The fire was located south of Summit Valley Road east of Highway 138 near Little Horsethief Canyon road.
When firefighters arrived on scene, they discovered not one but three small vegetation fires burning in close proximity to each other. Resources from CAL FIRE, The San Bernardino National Forest, the San Bernardino County Fire Department and various local fire departments responded to keep the flames in check. There were also two water dropping helicopters and two CAL FIRE S-2 air tankers assigned to the fire along with two bulldozers. More than 100 firefighters and fire crew members fought the fire as the three small fires burned into one.

The fire for a time threatened two homes as the flames driven by the wind raced up the dry hillsides but the homes had excellent defensible space and firefighters were able to defend the homes with no damage to any of the structures.

The sparse but dry vegetation caused some trouble for awhile, but about two hours after the fires were reported, the forward spread of the flames were stopped. The crews spent the rest of the day working along with bulldozers from CAL FIRE and the USFS to complete the containment line around the fire. The 82 acre fire was expected to be fully contained as of 6:00 pm this evening.

Last month, firefighters from CAL FIRE and the other departments spent most of the month participating in preparedness exercises designed to get ready for exactly what they faced today. Extended hose lays, cutting containment line and working with close support from the helicopters, air tankers and bull dozers. The lessons polished in a month of training resulted in a fast, safe, and efficient knock down of today's fire.

No injuries were reported and the fire is under investigation.