We were going up to set up our rental cabin in Running Springs (halfway between Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead).  We also have a permanent cabin about 5 miles from the rental that we stay at on weekends.  

From the bottom of the mountains we could see that a fire started.  The smoke was white, so I thought they contained it fast.  The smoke cloud was also pretty small, so there wasn’t any reason for concern.

At about 2,000 foot elevation (where there is a make shift shooting range which is how the fire started) we saw the fire across the canyon from the road.  Even with the windows up, air conditioning on, and the fire about 200 feet away, we could still feel the heat.  The flames reached 20 - 30 feet high.  We were one of the last cars that got through before the police arrived and blocked the road off.

The road was already covered with fire retardant (which probably kept it from being engulfed in flames minutes before we got there).  As we drove past, the planes and helicopters were flying inside the smoke to drop the fire retardants and water.  It was pretty impressive to see them get inside the smoke and so close to the steep hillsides.  Since the hillsides were so steep, the smoke didn't cover the road too badly; clear enough for us to pass through safely.  The smoke not only changed from white to red, but you could see the reflection of the fire on the smoke as well.  It was like the smoke was lit up.

This part of the road does a 180 degree switch back with about a 200 foot elevation from where we passed the fire.  I pulled over to get a better look, looking straight down into the fire.  This is when the police came by and told us to get back in our car and leave immediately.  This was only about 30 seconds from passing the canyon.  The fire had already run up the canyon almost to the road.  It was just as amazing to see the smoke shooting up like it was a chimney, with the force of the fire pushing it up.  

I thought with all the planes and helicopters, it would be out within a few hours.  This was only about 2,000 foot elevation, so I felt it wouldn't be a problem to continue going to our rental cabin.

Our rental cabin is at about 6,000 foot elevation.  There is a four lane highway, with an additional pullout lane on both sides, or essentially a six lane highway.  There was another 300 feet from the highway, up a steep hill, to our street with houses at the top of the hill (not the bottom).  We are the fourth house from this street (as the bird flies).  I thought the highway would make a large enough fire break just in case they couldn’t stop it.  The smoke turned a dark redish glow.

We started cleaning up after the last tenant.  The smoke kept getting darker and darker red, and of course closer and closer.  It was obvious that our cabin was in a direct line with the advancing fire.  Within 1 hour of arriving, we decided to leave.  

After dropping Terry and the kids off at our other cabin 5 miles away, I went back to help my brother's girl friend evacuate.  Her house was on the other side of the mountain from our cabin, only 1/2 mile away.  During the decision whether to stay or leave, power fluctuated as power line transformers started exploding on the other side of the mountain.  As long as the wind didn’t shift, and the fire was contained, this side of the mountain appeared to be safe.

The police already blocked off the main street to the rental cabin.  I knew back streets to get there around the road blocks.  I went to see just how close the fire was getting.  I watched a helicopter flying into the smoke somewhere below me by the highway.  The smoke was too thick to be able to see where the helicopter went.  I could see about 50 feet; the highway was 300 feet away.  There was a church on the other side of the highway at this point.  My guess is that the helicopter was trying to keep the church from burning.  I was getting smoke inhalation, so I only stayed for a minute to access the fire.   

Fire trucks started arriving.  I asked one fireman if he thought the fire would make it this far (yes).  Then I asked him if he thought our cabins would be safe (not sure).  Within 2 hours after that, the fire jumped the highway and running up the 300 foot hill in a straight line to our rental cabin.

There were about a dozen fire trucks that lined our street opposing the fire.  Our street is only 2 lanes wide, but considered a main street since it runs from the highway to the town.  Through the night, they held their position on this street.  

From our other cabin, we watched the dark red smoke roll over the mountains and out to the desert.  Occasionally we would see a flash within the smoke cloud, as propane tanks would explode.

By the morning, the firefighters subdued the fire to a dozen hot spots that looked like campfires in the distance. They held their line and didn't let the wall of fire pass them during the night.

I again drove the back streets, bypassed the road blocks, and went back to see what was left.  As I came around various curves (this road has lots of curves back and forth), I could see where the fire jumped the road and was quickly extinguished.   Blackened areas were dotted along the upslope side of our road.  One upslope house had the paint slightly burnt.  This is the area with the 300 foot hillside between the highway and our street.  All I could see left of the downhill houses was their chimneys.  Around the last curve, all the houses were saved.

On the lot next to ours, the fire had jumped and ignited the neighbors tree, only 50 feet from our rental cabin.  Again, the firefighters were fast to respond as only the bottom trunk of the tree was burned.

The firefighters kept the main fire wall contained to a area of about 6 lots wide, or one canyon width.  This is what saved the entire area.  If the fire wall had run over the canyon to either side, it would have spread too wide for them to handle, and the entire mountain range would have perished.  All the firefighters had left to contend with were the hot spots that were ignited from the main blaze; the running fires that looked like campfires in the distance.

Maybe they should change the name of the town from Running Springs to Running Fires.