Blue Cut fire in Cajon Pass burns over 30,000 acres, 'dozens' of buildings destroyed

The 15 Freeway, the main artery in and out of the High Desert, remains closed Wednesday morning as firefighters battled the out-of-control Blue Cut fire in the Cajon Pass overnight.

The massive wind-driven wildfire devoured 30,000u2009acres and multiple homes and buildings by Wednesday morning, forcing more than 80,000 people to evacuate their homes. No portion of the perimeter has containment lines.

“Dozens” of buildings were destroyed, according to San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig.

• Photos: The Blue Cut fire burns 30,000 acres and is still out of control

A day after playing defense because of the erratic and unpredictable path of the flames, crews on the Blue Cut fire are in more of an offensive mode Wednesday, but it’s not a full-on attack.

“You know how you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” said the incident commander, Mike Wakoski of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Hartwig said fire engines were in place to protect buildings Tuesday until the wind would change direction. He saw what he described as the largest fire whirls — tornadoes of flames — that he had ever seen. They were indicative of unstable winds, Hartwig said.

About 9:30 Wednesday morning, the wind was still.

• Live updates: Follow live updates from the Blue Cut fire

The west end of the fire, on a ridge between Lone Pine and Lytle Creek, concerned fire officials the most Wednesday. Firefighters hoped to protect a trailer park in the area.

Lytle Creek is staging ambulances, said Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for county fire, as the fire crested into West Cajon Valley and picked up in Phelan.

DRY BRUSH FEEDS FAST MOVING BLAZE

Crews on the Blue Cut fire are contending with extremely dry brush that burns easily.

“We’re seeing fuel moisture so low that it’s (brush) essentially labeled as dead. It looks green and it looks alive,” Hartwig said. Dry brush contributed to the speed at which the fire burned.

• Map: Where the Blue Cut fire in the Cajon Pass is burning near the 15 Freeway

The 15 Freeway was shut down shortly after the fire was first spotted around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, west of the southbound lanes near Kenwood Avenue. The 15 Freeway, along with Highway 138 from Highway 2 to Highway 18 as well as Big Pines Highway at Jackson Lake, remained shut down Wednesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

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It’s unclear how many structures have been lost to the fire, said Justin Correll with the U.S. Forest Service.

Out of “due diligence,” Wakoski said, sheriff’s deputies were searching burned homes with cadaver dogs. There were no reports of anyone not making it out of their homes, Hartwig said.

But, he added, “It’s almost unimaginable that with the number of people who refused to leave that we won’t see something.”

At least 238 Blue Cut fire evacuees spent the night at two shelters, according to an American Red Cross spokeswoman.

EVACUATION AREAS GROW OVERNIGHT

The mandatory evacuation area includes Phelan/Piñon Hills, south of Phelan Road from Sheep Creek Road to Green Road, including the Desert Front Road area, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday morning.

Fire officials say the days of waiting out mandatory evacuations on your living room couch instead of fleeing for safety are over.

• Related story: Blue Cut fire burns 18,000 acres in Cajon Pass on Day 1, more than 80,000 evacuated

The combination of unending drought, low humidity and high amounts of fuels contribute to fast-moving, erratic wildfires that leave little time for evacuation.

“These fires are exploding now,” Cal Fire Capt. Mike Mohler said Wednesday morning at the command post at Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore. “It’s the new normal. The public has to embrace that.”

During the Sand fire, which burned this year in Sand Canyon, a man who ignored a mandatory evacuation order was found burned to death in his car, Wakoski said.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller has seen that behavior at the Blue Cut fire, and he is concerned.

“This is not one for the public to fool around with,” he said.

Mohler said the evacuations “where you sit at home don’t exist anymore. We don’t want to be that broken record. (But) it’s not a joke anymore.”

EVACUEES SHELTERING

Three Swarthout Canyon Road residents spent Tuesday night in their vehicles outside the Fontana evacuation center after escaping the approaching Blue Cut fire with 13 pets.

Dave Delgado, 65, said he, wife Vi and daughter April Christy, 30, were shocked at how quickly the fire grew, raced up the mountain and leapt over land to get within 30 feet of their house.

“It was so small. We thought it was contained. Then all of a sudden - bam! - it just started going up that mountain,” he said as he sat in a white van with three Chihuahua mix dogs. “Then it jumped roads, railroad tracks, houses -- within minutes there was this wall of flames.”

• Photos: Firefighters attack the Blue Cut fire on Day 1 in the Cajon Pass

“It was amazing how that fire must have leap-frogged,” he added.

The trio raced away from their home in the van and truck loaded with nine dogs and four cats. They’re hoping to hear whether they can go back today to see if their house survive, he said.

Jiy Lee, owner of the Mountains Top Cafe in Wrightwood opened up to help feed firefighters, deputies and evacuees.

“They’ve been here all night,” Lee said. “I wanted to help them.”

Lee is handling the restaurant alone.

“I told my employees to stay home,” she said. “Everything is blocked anyway.”

Lee refused to take any money when a firefighter came in asking for a soda. She pushed the bill back into his hand.

A steady stream of customers stopped at Wrightwood Market for gas and supplies, and several residents and West Cajon Valley evacuees gathered Wednesday morning to discuss the fire.

Most are getting gas and a lot of coffee, said Patrick Boyle, the owner.

HUNDREDS OF FIREFIGHTERS HERE TO HELP

Fire crews from across the state contributed to more than 1,300 fire persoel battling the blaze.

In addition, San Bernardino County has 100 sheriff’s deputies working with county probation and Los Angeles County deputies in evacuating residents affected by Blue Cut fire.

Deputies are patrolling to check for looters in evacuation areas, said Sheriff John McMahon.

“I don’t think it gets much lower than that,” McMahon said.

The closure of the 15 Freeway prevented deputies from transporting inmates to High Desert courts, so those court dates will be rescheduled, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Department.

Firefighters were warned in their 6 a.m. briefing “Fires of this nature are very dynamic, even chaotic at this stage.”

The forecast Wednesday on the fire lines was for 100 degrees with 7-10 percent humidity, which is low, with southerly winds of 15-20 mph and gusts up to 25 mph before noon.

Officials have divided the fire into two “branches.” In one, according to the narrative in the written plan for the day, the fire can be expected to spread up Lone Pine Canyon toward Wrightwood.

In the second branch, most of the flames are headed north and east into lighter brush, which could slow the spread there. The eastern portion, north of Cleghorn Mountain, is in heavier brush. Officials hope roads and developed land in that area will serve as fire breaks.

The goals for Wednesday are to prevent the fire from spreading south of Phelan Road, west of Arrowhead Lake Road, east of Dawson Peak and north of Gem Ranch.

FIRE AFFECTING TRANSPORTATION, SCHOOLS

Victorville Valley Transit Authority Route 20, Route 21 and Route 15 B-V Link between Victorville and San Bernardino are shut down because of the fire, but other routes continue as usual, according to the agency.

The Barstow, Helendale, Silver Valley, Snowline, Hesperia, Oro Grande and Victor Valley school districts are closed Wednesday. Kimbark Elementary and bus services into and out of Devore are also closed, according to San Bernardino City Unified School District police.

Teachers normally assigned to Kimbark Elementary will instead cover for teachers at other schools who live in the High Desert and are expected to have trouble traveling south, said district spokeswoman Maria Garcia.

FIRE DESTROYS LANDMARKS

The devastating fire, which destroyed several structures and homes -- including the historic Summit I at the top of the Cajon Pass -- quickly exploded, consuming 30,000 acres, or nearly 47 square miles, in less than 24 hours.

“It’s bewildering,” said Char Miller, a professor at Pomona College who researches wildfires. “The fire is moving very, very quickly, and I think that’s one of the examples of the nature of fire this summer. This is in big measure because we’re in a deep drought. The drought, the weather and the temperature have come together in a way that’s, frankly, pretty scary.”

Red flag conditions remain in effect for San Bernardino County until 9 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Winds are forecast to reach 35 mph, according to Correll, with the Forest Service.

Air quality was unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups in much of the region because of the smoke, according to the Mojave and South Coast air quality management districts. The smoke advisories suggest limiting time spent outdoors and avoiding outdoor exercise when smoke is in the air and using the air conditioner.