‘Our mission is saving lives first’

By Mary-Justine Lanyon

Cal Fire hosted an online media advisory on Sept. 9, bringing together the agencies in charge of overseeing the Line Fire.

Cal Fire’s Operations Section Chief noted they had created bulldozer lines from Highway 18 to the City Creek Fire Station. “We’ve made great progress in that area,” he said. 

The eastern side of the fire was the priority on Sept. 9, he noted. “It has been very active today. We are expecting it to have significant growth in the next 24 to 48 hours.”

“California is home to the best firefighters in the nation,” said Chief Dan Munsey of San Bernardino County Fire. “We are seeing that play out in the protection of our communities.”

On Saturday, Sept. 7, when the fire made a run, “we estimated we would lose houses,” Chief Munsey said. “We thank our neighboring communities for mobilizing.” About 600 firefighters arrived from those other communities; their efforts prevented the loss of any homes. And, the chief added, “I thank God for the rain.”

The firefighters have been challenged by the weather – the heat, drought and low humidity. And, the chief said, the thunderstorms “have moved the fire around.”

Sheriff Shannon Dicus addressed the issue of looting. “We are out there in force to protect your property,” he said. With the municipal aid received from 10 police departments, they were able to increase their numbers from 30 to 150. And, the sheriff added, “we will double those number with the National Guard.” Once an area is under an evacuation order, he noted, “we will place the National Guard there with law enforcement units to maintain security.

“We will treat your homes as though they are ours. Anyone attempting to loot will be arrested and prosecuted.”

So far, Sheriff Dicus said, there had been one case of potential looting; that person was arrested. “The DA will absolutely prosecute them,” he said. “We are not messing around.”

Lt. Nicholas King of the Arrowhead CHP office reviewed the mountain road closures, noting they have units patrolling to help get “stragglers” off the mountain.

A representative from the San Bernardino National Forest expressed his thanks to all the men and women out there, working in a “true unified effort. A fire of this magnitude – we couldn’t handle it ourselves. We are dedicated to the people who live in the national forest.”

He asked everyone to follow any information given to them by law enforcement or fire. “Our mission is always saving lives first. Make their jobs as easy as possible.”

The final update on Monday night put the Line Fire at 25,089 acres and 5-percent containment.