Wrightwood stunned by Bridge fire destruction: 'Never believed it would happen'

Visibility was at a minimum in this rustic San Gabriel Mountains town on Wednesday as flames from the explosive Bridge fire chewed through several homes and outbuildings.

Though most people were gone, a thick layer of ash coated the remnants of their lives — a satellite dish, lawn furniture, a quaint greenhouse and potted plants.

Some residents hesitated to leave at first, according to Deputy Chief Mike Inman of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, but they got the message soon enough.

"They never believed it would happen, but then they believed it when they saw it come to town," Inman said from Wrightwood Elementary School on Wednesday morning.

The Bridge fire is one of three fast-moving wildfires that sparked amid a record-breaking heat wave in Southern California in recent days, sending residents across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties fleeing for safety. At least 13 homes in Wrightwood as well as surrounding cabins were burned.

Many evacuees sought shelter at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville.

One of them, a Pinon Hills resident named Joel who declined to give his last name, said the Bridge fire was the first time in more than 20 years that he felt the need to leave.

"That fire was just moving too fast yesterday," Joel said as he sat next to a trailer he used to transport three horses.

His neighbor, who identified herself as Alice, said she had less than an hour to gather her pets and belongings. Though she is worried about her home, her mind is also on the crews fighting to protect the area, she said.

"Just pray for the firefighters," she said.

The fires came on fast and strong as triple-digit temperatures baked overgrown vegetation that sprouted after back-to-back wet winters. Experts say the region's grasses and hillsides are rife for fast-moving flames , and crews are struggling to gain a foothold on the blazes, which also include the 22,000-acre Airport fire and the 35,000-acre Line fire.

But the 48,000-acre Bridge fire remains uncontained, and has become the largest and highest-priority fire in the state, officials said. About 2,500 structures are threatened by the fire, and at least 20 homes have already been destroyed in Mt. Baldy, 13 homes in Wrightwood and six cabins in the Angeles National Forest's wilderness area.

On the north side of Highway 2 on Wednesday, fire lapped at thick vegetation that surrounded a two-story house with a brick chimney. Crews doused flames with their hoses, but allowed some fire to burn downhill and through the vegetation to create a defensive space around the home.

"This is just one piece that we're seeing of the larger Bridge fire," San Bernardino County Fire spokesperson Eric Sherwin said from a nearby church parking lot, where the smell of burned wood swirled through the air.

Strong westerly winds "shoved the fire into Wrightwood" when it crossed Highway 2 on Tuesday night, with gusts reaching up to 50 mph, Sherwin said.

Though the flames encroached on the area's famed Mountain High Ski Resort, officials said it survived mostly unscathed . Less certain is the fate of the nearby property of Bungee America, a bungee jumping business that operates off "the Bridge to Nowhere" — a 1930s-era arch bridge that spans the San Gabriel River and was originally intended to connect to Wrightwood.

Ron Jones, founder of Bungee America, told the L.A. County Regional Planning Commission on Wednesday that there's a high likelihood the fire has consumed his property, which includes a helicopter hangar, outhouse and storage containers. Fortunately, he said, the bridge itself is a reinforced concrete structure that has "stood the test of time for the past 88 years" and implied it's likely to remain standing.

The Line fire has shown similarly dangerous behavior as it continues to threaten the areas of Running Springs, Arrowbear Lake and nearby Big Bear.

Big Bear resident Darleen Sandoval said she and her husband decided to evacuate their home of 13 years because 12 kids live there and it no longer felt safe.

Though their home is still standing, the experience has been emotional, Sandoval said. The parents plan to play up the fire as a vacation for the kids — maybe taking them camping or finding some other fun way to pass the time.

Still, she said she can't outrun the stress of being caught between two places.

"I think I'm just a little numb to it," Sandoval said.

Others are similarly uncertain about what lies ahead.

Though Wrightwood has had brushes with wildfire in the past, this time felt particularly perilous as emergency crews drove through the area and ordered people to leave, said Michelle Speers, a longtime resident.

She grabbed some documents, clothes and a handful of other items and helped her daughter, grandchildren and neighbor load up their cars. Then she sped down the highway away from her beloved community.

"We heard about other residents who stayed up there," Speers said. "But we don't know when we'll be able to head back home."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .