Big Bear News – Big Bear, CA – UPDATE: Fire crews successfully burned five acres on Saturday and plan to return to the same area on Tuesday, March 30. Smoke and flame will be visible. Additional broadcast burning is possible on City Creek Rd. (1N09) which would produce smoke visible from Highway 330 beginning Thursday, April 1. More to come on that if the weather forecast stays optimal.
San Bernardino National Forest Service officials have announced plans for 10 to 50 acres of prescribed burning to take place in a small area adjacent to town if conditions are optimal. The type of prescription used for this project will be broadcast burning, in which a predetermined area surrounded by control line will be ignited. The low-intensity and slow-moving fire will consume some of the woody debris, leaf litter and shrubs in the understory of the area. This activity is part of the larger South Big Bear Fuels Reduction Project, which covers much of the mountainous terrain between Bear Mountain and Bluff Mesa. Burning will occur on National Forest land directly adjacent to the lower Moonridge neighborhood and near the Bear Mountain Ski Area. Ignitions could begin as early as Saturday, March 26, and last through Monday, March 29. Crews will return to the area for more work later in the year. As a fire-adapted forest, prescribed burning will be an occasional activity in different parts of the forest on an annual basis. The work mimics the natural cycle of fire during optimal weather windows, such as spring. It also provides a clearance for firefighters to work between the community and an incoming wildfire.
