The U.S. Forest Service will close its national forests across Southern California for one week due to the region’s dangerous wildfire conditions and limited firefighting resources, the agency announced Monday, Sept. 7.
The closures began at 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7, 2020 and will continue to Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, said Andrew Mitchell, spokesman for the Angeles National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region said in a press release the forest closures were day-to-day. But the closure order spelled out the week-long closures.
The seven-day closure is spelled out in Forest Order No. 20-07 signed by Randy Moore, regional forester for the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and dated Sept. 7.
However, the end date could be moved up or extended depending on weather and fire conditions, added Zach Behrens, public affairs officer with the San Bernardino National Forest.
A combination of extreme heat, significant wind, “unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions” and overstretched firefighting resources prompted the decision, Mitchell wrote in a statement.
“The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously,” said Moore in a statement. “Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire.”
Moore’s order said the USFS has sought help from the U.S. Army as well as other countries, including Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
“We are bringing every resource to bear nationally and internationally to fight these fires,” Moore added, “but until conditions improve, and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely, the priority is always to protect the public and our firefighters.”
The following national forests are closed completely for one week: Angeles, San Bernardino, Cleveland, Los Padres, Inyo, Sequoia, Sierra, and Stanislaus.
Elsewhere, the Forest Service will close all of its developed campground and day-use sites in California. The use of campfires, gas stoves and any other ignition source are now prohibited on all National Forest System lands throughout the state.
As of Monday, 13 of the 18 national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region in California have large fires, according to Moore’s closure order.
In Los Angeles County, the Bobcat Fire ignited Sept. 6 in the Angeles National Forest north of Azusa and Monrovia has burned 4,900 acres as of Monday night, with 0% containment. Limited access and resources have hindered the roughly 150 firefighters involved.
In particular, this year, the Angeles National Forest has experienced an unusual number of large fires, including the Dam fire (220 acres), Ranch2 fire (4,237 acres), Lake fires (31,089 acres) and the Bobcat fire (4,900 acres).
State and county roads will be open but only for pass-through traffic.
The 700,176-acre Angeles, which includes the San Gabriel and Sierra Pelona mountains, is often known as Los Angeles’ backyard. So far the Angeles has received a record visitor turnout, making 2020 the busiest year in the forest’s 112-year history, Mitchell reported.
Fire danger level in the Angeles remains at “extreme,” one notch below the highest of “critical.”
In San Bernardino County, the El Dorado Fire on the northern edges of Yucaipa, near the San Bernardino National Forest, hit 9,671 acres Monday evening. More than 20,000 residents have been evacuated while 619 firefighters battle the blaze. The fire, started Saturday by a family’s gender reveal stunt, now stretches across the county border into Riverside County as well.
The Forest Service pointed to the Creek Fire on the Sierra National Forest, near Fresno, as an example of “extreme fire behavior.” The Creek Fire erupted Friday, Sept. 4, and rapidly grew over the weekend, making a 15-mile run in a single day and reaching 78,790 acres as of Monday evening. The California National Guard evacuated roughly 200 people from Wagner Mammoth Pool Campground. Nearly 1,000 firefighters are involved.