MT. BALDY – Control of a stubborn brush fire in steep terrain north of Mt. Baldy Village continued to evade firefighters Wednesday.
The Big Horn Fire, which started near Bear Canyon at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, had slowed down significantly with a decrease in the wind.
As of 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, the fire was 25 percent contained. It has burned about 320 acres north of the Mt. Baldy Village area within the Angeles National Forest.
“We have changed our tactics as far as crews hiking in,” said Frank Garrido, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman. “We are now spiking crews in – airlifting (firefighters) into safe refuge areas and they will hike in a considerably less distance.”
There are 623 firefighters battling the blaze, which has a medium amount of dry brush. The difficulty level is described as extreme.
The weather will be a concern as winds are expected to kick up after midnight, said Bruce Quintelier, fire information officer with the U.S. Forest Service.
Gusts of up to 40 mph were possible overnight, he said. Thursday is expected to be warmer and drier, Quintelier said.
While firefighters were busy on their end, residents of the area were proceeding with business as usual.
West Coast 911 firefighter news source:Â San Gabriel Valley Tribune
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