Evacuation orders were set to be lifted Monday as firefighters appeared to gain an upper hand on the Summit Fire burning in Big Bear.
The wildfire has scorched roughly 100 acres near the Snow Summit Ski Resort south of Big Bear since it began at about 12:25 p.m. on Sunday.
The size of the fire did not change overnight and firefighters had upped the containment level from 30 to 50 percent, according to InciWeb, a multi-agency incident website.
At one point, the fire threatened nearly 500 homes and forced voluntary and mandatory evacuations, but those evacuations were set to be lifted for residents as of 2 p.m., according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Big Bear resident Bob Bacon said fire scares like this are not uncommon. “This is about the fourth time in the last 10 years. So yeah, it’s concerning,” Bacon said.
Nearly 300 firefighters, four air tankers and four helicopters were among the resources being used to battle the wildfire.
With multiple fires burning across California, agencies have to be very careful with their resources, Chon Breibiescas of the U.S. Forest Service said.
“We have so many fires going on right now that they have to be in multiple places. Especially the aircraft, we’re basically sharing out aircraft when best needed,” Breibiescas said.
An American Red Cross shelter has been set up at the Big Bear Convention Center at 42900 Big Bear Boulevard (map), Inciweb reported.
Small animals can be taken to the San Bernardino County Animal Shelter in Devore located at 19777 Shelter Way (map).
The Big Bear Valley Unified School District closed all schools Monday for student and staff safety, the website reported.
All schools will remain closed on Tuesday except Fallsvale School in Forest Falls, which will be open.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.