Lake Fire 33% Contained

By U.S. Forest Service

Firefighters are continuing working on the 17,525 acre Lake Fire in the San Bernardino mountains with containment increasing to 33 percent.

Good progress was made within the northeastern portion of fire Tuesday, although the fire remained active and continued spotting to the east. With the steep ridgelines in the area, burning material rolled down into the headwaters of Little Morongo Creek. This was the eastern most point of spread as of the end of day shift. Helicopters dropped retardant in this area to halt the progress as the terrain is inaccessible to ground crews.

Pockets of dense vegetation burned inside the fire perimeter and were visible from the southern side. The fire did spread into the headwaters of the North Fork of Whitewater and may burn northwest from there. If the fire continues to burn in this direction, it will be visible to residents of Forest Falls. Tonight, firefighters will be working in this area constructing fireline.

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• Firefighter Dads Battling Lake Fire Find ‘Thank You’ Messages on Father’s Day
• Evacuations Ordered As Massive Wildfire Spreads Through San Bernardino Mountains
• Lake Fire Rages in San Bernardino Mountains for Third Day

State Highway 38 remains closed. Forest and Fire Team leadership re-evaluate this each evening; the decision to open the road is dependent on how much firefighting equipment – including helicopters with buckets full of water – need to work in the area. We ask that everyone is patient and help keep our firefighters safe by respecting the State Highway 38 closure.

The Barton Flats area remains closed. This means that all organizational camps in the area remain closed until further notice. Camp Managers need to contact Heather Mobley at the Mountaintop Ranger District office for status updates.

Evacuations remain in effect:

- All areas east of Angelus Oaks including: Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Rainbow Lane, Heart Bar, and all cabins and campgrounds in the South Fork area.