Line Fire in San Bernardino County grows to over 37,000 acres; suspect charged

Charges were filed Thursday against the man suspected of starting the Line Fire burning in San Bernardino County.

The massive blaze grew by nearly 1,000 acres overnight but officials say that weather conditions have helped slow its spread.

The Line Fire is believed to have been intentionally set a week ago on Sept. 5 near Base Line and Aplin streets in Highland.

As of 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Cal Fire said the blaze had scorched 37,589 acres and was 21% contained.

More than 3,000 firefighting personnel are assigned to the Line Fire, which is burning north of Highland, south of Big Bear, east of Running Springs and west of Angeles Oaks.

Cal Fire said the cooler conditions and “smoke shading” will help crews battling the wildfire, which has jumped Highway 330.

The man accused of starting the fire, 34-year-old Justin Wayne Halstenberg of Norco, has been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts.

“We filed charges this morning against Mr. Halstenberg as a result of what’s known as the Line Fire,” San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said during a news conference late Thursday morning.

Among the nine charges filed against Halstenberg are arson causing damages of over $7 million, great bodily injury to a firefighter and three counts of possession of incendiary devices.

Anderson said Halstenberg, who used to be a FedEx driver , tried to set three fires in the area, with one attempt turning into the Line Fire.

He also said that more charges could be filed. “This is an ongoing crime. The fire is still burning, so things could change … whether additional people are injured or whether additional structures are burned,” Anderson said.

A home belonging to a family with nine children was destroyed as a result of the fire spreading to Pine Cone Drive in Running Springs.

“It happened really fast. We weren’t able to grab much before we left, so I have about three Tupperware left of our lives,” Brooke Palenchar said. “But we’re safe and we’re healthy and we can’t ask for anything more than that really.”

Damage Inspection Teams are still working to identify any other structures that may have been damaged or destroyed.

Evacuation orders remain in place for several mountain communities including a section of Big Bear.

The latest updates on evacuations and information about evacuation centers and road closures can also be found on the Line Fire incident website .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the area Wednesday and toured a scorched section near Highland.

The Governor’s Office also announced a state of emergency was declared due to wildfires burning across four counties in Southern California. The state of emergency authorized the use of National Guard resources in the area.

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