Thousands of people have fled their homes the Line Fire destroyed more than 34,000 acres and authorities arrested a man on suspicion of starting the massive blaze in Southern California.
Since the wildfire began around 6 p.m. Thursday, mandatory evacuations have been extended to several communities over the past week as the fire has grown in size, starting first along Base Line and Aplin Streets in the town of Highland.
On Tuesday, authorities have announced Justin Wayne Halstenberg34, of Norco was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire.
“While we are still in the preliminary stages of the investigation, we believe this was intentional,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said during a news conference Wednesday morning.
Authorities said they began investigating Halstenberg on September 6 and after executing a search warrant, they found evidence in his home and vehicle linking him to the wildfire.
By Saturday, the fire had already burned more than 2,800 hectares, but had since spread even further. Hot, dry conditions were hampering firefighters’ efforts, and they were also faced with other challenges, such as steep, rugged terrain.
Gina Ferazzi
“The Line Fire continues to grow in steep terrain with difficult access, particularly in the Big Bear area,” Cal Fire officials said in an update just before 6 a.m. Wednesday. “Near-vertical slopes make it difficult to establish control lines.”
As of Wednesday morning, the fire was estimated at 34,659 acres and 14% contained, according to Cal Fire, or the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The night before, people in communities including Arrowbear Lake, Forrest Falls and Running Springs were just some of the residents facing mandatory evacuation orders.
“My advice to people who don’t want to leave is to get off the mountain,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua. “Nothing is worth it — your lives, your families’ lives are not worth it.”
“It’s just smarter to leave, get off the mountain before it becomes an order,” Pascua said, urging people to flee even if they’re only under a voluntary evacuation warning rather than a full-blown, mandatory order. “It’s better to do it early.”
Jennifer Riser, who lives in the evacuated community of Runnings Springs, said it was “very scary” waiting for news of evacuations.
“We packed our cats up about an hour ago, and that was the order we were given,” Riser said Tuesday.
Dicus said two other people suspected of breaking into an evacuated area have also been arrested. He issued a stern warning Wednesday to those attempting to loot homes where residents have fled and said law enforcement officials are on standby.
“We live in these communities, we’ve been evacuated as well, and we’re going to make sure the public knows that their homes are our homes,” Dicus said. “And I draw a line when it comes to this kind of thing. If you’re an opportunist in San Bernardino County and we catch you, you’re going to jail.”
The Line Fire is one of three major wildfires raging across multiple counties in Southern California.
It is currently the fifth largest wildfire in California so far this year. Meanwhile, the bridge firewhich grew in size this week, is currently the third largest wildfire in the state in 2024.
The last of the three, the Airport Fire, several houses destroyed Tuesday night as it continued to spread. It is currently the seventh largest so far this year, according to updates from Cal Fire, as of Wednesday morning.
The Line Fire destroyed some structures, the damage is still being assessed, and three injuries were reported, authorities said. But there were no fatalities, Dicus said.
“We’re going to do our very best to keep it that way,” Dicus said. “The fire behavior in this fire — from the briefings we’ve had from our fire partners — is one of the strangest and let’s say ‘not typical’ in fire science, is what’s been explained to me.”
“And we’re constantly moving and flexing,” he said.
Below is a list of evacuation orders. The latest information on road closures and more can be found here.
Mandatory evacuation orders
- The area east of Orchard Road to Cloverhill Drive from Highland Ave north to the foothills
- All undeveloped land east of Highway 330 to Summertrail Place and north of Highland Avenue
- Communities of Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake
- The community of Forrest Falls
- The Mountain Home Village Community
- The communities of Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks and all the campgrounds and cabins in the area
- The areas north and east of Highland Avenue and Palm Avenue
- Green Valley Lake north of Highway 18 along Green Valley Lake Road
- Big Bear from the dam east to Wildrose Lane and the southern shoreline south to Bluff Lake Basin
Evacuation warnings
- From Calle Del Rio east to Highway 38 and from Greenspot Road north to the foothills
- From Highway 210 east to the foothills and from Greenspot Road north to the foothills
- The community of Green Valley Lake north of Highway 18 along Green Valley Lake Road
- The communities of Cedar Glen, Lake Arrowhead, Twin Peaks, Crestline and Valley of Enchantment
- The area from Garnet Street east to Bryant Street and Carter Street north to Mill Creek
- The area of Big Bear Valley from the dam to Cactus Road
- Garnett Street east to Highway 38 and Mill Creek north to the foothills
