Preventative efforts helped save Angelus Oaks from the Line Fire

Prescribed burns and other measures to build and maintain a fire barrier around Angelus Oaks were instrumental in keeping the explosive, 44,000-acre Line Fire from devastating the San Bernardino County mountain community, authorities said.

For 20 years, and as recently as in May, firefighters have carried out regular efforts to sustain a "fuel break" surrounding and protecting the community from the ever-looming threat of wildfires, according to U.S. Forest Service officials.

"Most recently, just five months before the Line Fire, the Mill Creek Hotshots and other crews from the San Bernardino National Forest conducted a broadcast burn on over 200 acres around the Angelus Oaks community," the agency said in a written statement . "Thanks to these efforts, the Line Fire never crossed any of the fuel breaks."

Since 2004, the Mill Creek Hotshots and other fire crews have made regular visits to Angelus Oaks to thinned, prune, pile and burn excess fuels, according to San Bernardino National Forest Fuels Officer Bryan Vergne.

"This year was the first year we were actually able to broadcast," he said.

Broadcast burns refer to controlled fires set by firefighters under specific conditions to help mitigate wildfire threat and improve forest health, officials said.

"Several criteria must be met for a broadcast burn to occur, including smoke dispersal conditions, weather, adequate staffing, and fuel moisture levels," according to a USFS statement . All of these factors are carefully reviewed in the burn plan before any action is taken.

The operation took place between April 30 and May 3 and involved about 85 personnel, officials said at the time.

As the massive flames of the Line Fire advanced toward Angelus Oaks in late-September and early-October, the plan worked just as intended, Mill Creek Hotshots Superintendent Justin Grunewald said.

"When the fire hit the ridge and in ran into our fuels treatment area, it ran out of fuel to burn on the ground, which slowed the fire activity down a lot, which allowed the crews come in and engage on it and hold it," he said.

The fire ran up against the fuel break at multiple locations, but it held, Vergne added.

"Subsequently, the Line Fire itself did not even cross the fuel break area," he said. "They were able to hold it within the fuel break and curb the fire out toward the Santa Ana Drainage."

More: Line Fire arson suspect pleads not guilty to 11 felony charges

The blaze was allegedly ignited by an arsonist at the north end of Highland on Sept. 5. A 34-year-old Norco man faces 11 arson-related criminal charges in connection with the fire.

It had consumed 43,978 acres and was 98% contained as of Sunday, according to Cal Fire. One structure was destroyed and four others were damaged. More than 500 firefighters remained assigned to the fire.

More: San Bernardino County crews work to mitigate flood risk in Line Fire, Bridge Fire burn areas

The fire promoted the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department to issue an evacuation order for Angelus Oaks, along with other mountain communities, on Sept. 30.

The evacuation order was lifted on Oct. 4, although the area remained under an evacuation warning through Oct. 8.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Preventative efforts helped save Angelus Oaks from the Line Fire