Reporting from LYTLE CREEK, Calif. — All the ingredients were there. Dry heat, gusting winds in a mountain pass cloaked in dead grass and drought-shriveled chaparral.
All it needed was a spark. It came at 10:36 Tuesday morning near Kenwood Avenue west of Interstate 15. The Blue Cut fire was born.
“It all aligned. The wind, the fuel and the topography,” said Capt. Howard Deets of the Mill Creek hotshot crew based in the San Bernardino National Forest. “When that happens there’s nothing you can do about it. You could throw the world’s fire fighting resources at it and it’s just going to keep going.”
That’s what the Blue Cut did, chewing through 25,626 acres by Wednesday night, forcing mass evacuations and shutting down one of the most heavily used routes through the mountains that form the untamed backdrop to the sprawl of the Los Angeles Basin.
The terrain near where the fire started is so rugged and steep that “it’s like wadded up paper” said incident commander Michael Wakoski, a battalion chief with the San Bernardino County Fire Department. “It’s almost impossible to move up and down the slopes. It makes containment of the fire very difficult.”
When firefighters arrived Tuesday morning, a freight train stood idle on the tracks, abandoned by the engineer, who fled the fast-moving fire.
Gusts of 20 to 30 mph pushed the blaze north in the Cajon Pass, a natural wind tunnel, tossing embers a half-mile ahead of the flame front. The fire jumped the freeway.
Firefighting crews were left on the defense, struggling to protect homes as flames consumed chaparral, pine trees and yucca.
“We got our butts kicked,” Wakoski said.
The firefighting effort is complicated by the patchwork of crucial infrastructure that runs through the pass: Electrical lines that provide power to the basin, rail lines, high-pressure gas lines, a fiber-optic network — even a pipeline that carries jet fuel.
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About 10 buildings belonging to the Thanksgiving Korean Church were reduced to rubble by the Blue Cut fire.
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Miguel and Mabel Ramos, both 73, survey the devastation of the Blue Cut fire after it swept through their Oak Hills residence.
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Mabel Ramos, 73, is overcome by emotion upon seeing the devastation caused by the Blue Cut fire, which swept through her Oak Hills residence.
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Miguel Ramos holds a single chicken that survived after the Blue Cut fire swept through his Oak Hills property, burning the guest house and killing about 135 animals.
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A CalFire helicopter makes a water drop on still smoldering remnants of Blue Cut Fire on the hilltop ridges along Hwy 2 in Wrightwood.
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The Blue Cut fire continues to burn north of Lytle Creek in San Bernardino County.
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Ground crews put out errant fires that popped up near the train tracks in Keenbrook in San Bernardino County.
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A firefighting helicopter makes water drops to keep errant fires from approaching the train tracks near Interstate 15 at Keenbrook in San Bernardino County.
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Fire burns on the train tracks near Interstate 15 at Keenbrook in San Bernardino County.
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A firefighting helicopter drops water on glames getting close to the train tracks near Interstate 15 at Keenbrook in San Bernardino County.
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An abandoned structure sits in the path of the Blue Cut fire after it has passed through Lone Pine Canyon in San Bernardino County.
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A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop on a flare-up of the Blue Cut fire along Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass on Thursday.
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The Blue Cut fire burns in the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest, leaving charred vegetation in its wake near Wrightwood on Thursday.
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A firefighting helicopter flies through thick smoke as it makes a water drop on a flare-up of the Blue Cut fire along Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass.
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A dust cyclone swirls through a charred moonscape left by the Blue Cut fire near Wrightwood.
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Scott Steele of the Beverly Hills Fire Department comforts one of two dogs hurt in the Blue Cut fire next to a burned structure on Monte Vista Road in Phelan.
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Jaime Jungle, left, and Chris Schreiner from San Bernardino County Animal Control carry one of two dogs hurt by the Blue Cut fire at a burned-out structure on Monte Vista Road in Phelan.
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A light pole with plastic globes melted in the heat of the Blue Cut fire stands along Tamarind Avenue in Phelan.
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Fire crews are busy mopping up hot spots from the Blue Cut fire on Highway 2 on the way to Wrightwood.
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A helicopter makes a water drop in very dense smoke from Blue Cut Fire smoldering in the hills along Highway 2 near Wrightwood.
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Smoldering hillside from Blue Cut fire along Highway 2 near Wrightwood.
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Work crew prepare to repair downed power lines damaged by the Blue Cut fire on Highway 138 at the junction of 15 Freeway.
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The Blue Cut fire grew to more than 31,000 acres Thursday morning. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )
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A car destroyed by the Blue Cut wildfire in Phelan, California.
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A firefighter douses the Blue Cut fire burning alongside Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday night.
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Firefighters attack the Blue Cut fire as it burns along Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday night.
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Firefighters work to defend structures on Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday night. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighter monitors the Blue Cut fire on the side of Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday night.
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A firefighter works to defend structures on Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday night.
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Firefighters set back fires on Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday night. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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With a full moon in the background, firefighters monitor the Blue Cut fire along Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday night. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighting helicopter drops water on a hillside to battle the Blue Cut fire west of Interstate 15 on Wednesday in Devore.
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Smoke from the Blue Cut fire burns over Interstate 15 on Wednesday in Devore.
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Firefighters work to extinguish flames on Cajon Blvd along the interstate 15, in San Bernardino County on Aug. 17.
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A firefighter battles the Blue Cut fire in thick brush along Lytle Creek Road.
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CalFire firefighters keep watch on the Blue Cut fire as it roars on a hillside above Sheep Canyon Road on Wednesday in Lytle Creek. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A sky crane drops water on the Blue Cut Fire to keep it from crossing Lytle Creek Road on Wednesday in Lytle Creek. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Lytle Creek residents check-in at the evacuation center set up at the Jessie Turner Health & Fitness Center on Wednesday in Fontana. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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The Blue Cut fire burns close to Wrightwood. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters work around the Blue Cut fire near Wrightwood. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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The Blue Cut fire burns a hillside near Wrightwood. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighting helicopters battle the Blue Cut fire as it burns out of control around the community of Lytle Creek.
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Lytle Creek residents Nico and Dalia Santucci prepare to evacuate as the Blue Cut fire burns near their home.
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A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Blue Cut fire as it burns above Lytle Creek on Wednesday.
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Air tanker drops fire retardant near residences threatened by Blue Cut Fire along Highway 2 Wednesday afternoon.
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A structure is engulfed in flames as the Blue Cut fire burns out of control in Lytle Creek.
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A firefighting airplane drops fire retardant on the Blue Cut fire in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest.
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Towering flames of the Blue Cut fire burn out of control in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest above Lytle Creek.
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A firefighting helicopter drops water on bruning brush as the Blue Cut fire burns out of control in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest on Wednesday.
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The Blue Cut fire exploded out of control Tuesday in the Cajon Pass, scorching 30,000 acres and destroying an unknown number of homes in several rural San Bernardino County communities.
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David Pearson, who lives on Lone Pine Canyon Road, decided to stay at home in Wrightwood as long as conditions allowed.
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Firefighter Bryan Hagan and Pegi Fall, standing along Lone Pine Canyon Road, watch as the Blue Cut fire approaches Wrightwood. Fall has decided to stay as long as conditions allow.
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The Blue Cut fire exploded out of control Tuesday in the Cajon Pass, scorching 30,000 acres and forcing over 80,000 to evacuate.
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A cat wandering around jumps way from hot surface and flames emitting at still smoldering structure at Hess Road.
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Destruction brought by Blue Cut fire on Hess Road in Phelan.
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Smoke rises out from underneath railroad tracks at a damaged bridge near the Interstate 15 damaged by the Blue Cut fire burning in San Bernardino County.
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Michelle Keeney and her husband, Scott, salvage some old signs from gutted Summit Inn Wednesday morning. Michelle Keeney is the manager of the restaurant destroyed in the fire.
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Spot fire continue to burn in what remains of the gutted Summit Inn at the junction of the 15 Freeway and Highway 138 Wednesday morning.
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A melted sign from a McDonald’s restaurant shows the damage as firefighters check the area after the Blue Cut fire swept through Cajon Junction.
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Burned homes and vehicles are left in the wake of the Blue Cut Fire that broke out in Devore near the Cajon Pass on Aug. 16, 2016.
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Burned homes and vehicles are left in the wake of the Blue Cut fire that broke out in Devore near the Cajon Pass on Aug. 16, 2016.
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Smoke from the Blue Cut fire that broke out in Devore near the Cajon Pass and quickly spread on Aug. 16, 2016.
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Fire continues to burn along Highway 138, in San Bernardino County.
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During the night, a portion of the Blue Cut fire burns along Interstate 15.
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A firefighter returns to his vehicle as fire continue to burn along Highway 138 in San Bernardino County.
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The Blue Cut fire still burns out of control into the evening off Highway 138 in Summit Valley, Calif.
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Winds blow hot embers along a burning fence line as the Blue Cut fire torches the landscape into the evening off Highway 138 in Summit Valley.
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Motorists flee The Blue Cut fire as it burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley.
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Residents watch in despair as the Blue Cut fire burns homes on the hillside off Highway 138 in Summit Valley, California.
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An air tanker drops fire retardant near homes as the Blue Cut fire burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley, California.
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A home is engulfed in flames as the Blue Cut fire burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley, California.
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San Bernadino County firefighter David Pingree works to save a home near Hwy 138.
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The Blue Cut fire burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley, California.
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A home located at 5375 Hwy 138 in Phelan is consumed by the Blue Cut fire as it rages out of control August 16, 2016.
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Fire crews head back to their truck after a failed attempt to stop the Blue Cut Fire spreading along Highway 138 in Phelan, California.
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The Blue Cut Fire roars out of control behind greenhouses along Highway 138 in Phelan, California.
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A firefighter watches as the Blue Cut Fire roars near Highway 138 as it burns vegetation and power poles in Phelan, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times )
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Fire crews attempts but can not stop the Blue Cut fire as it spreads along Highway 138 in Phelan, California.
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A firefighter reports that the Blue Cut fire is burning on both sides of Highway 138 in Phelan, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times )
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A power pole burns as the Blue Cut fire burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley, California.
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A house is surrounded by flames as the Blue Cut Fire roars above Highway 138 in Phelan, Calif., on Tuesday.
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A firestorm approaches as a fire crew begins to pull out at Mormon Rocks Station in the San Bernardino National Forest off Highway 138.
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A firefighter on Tuesday monitors the Blue Cut fire along Highway 138, near the Cajon Pass.
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The Blue Cut fire engulfs the Mormon Rocks Fire Station in the San Bernardino National Forest off Highway 138 in Phelan, Calif., on Tuesday.
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The Blue Cut fire burns along California Highway 138 on Tuesday.
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The Blue Cut Fire roars out of control as it heads towards home off Highway 138.
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The Blue Cut fire throws up a large plume of smoke shortly after it broke out late Tuesday morning.
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The Blue Cut fire engulfs the Mormon Rocks area off Highway 138 in Phelan, Calif., on Tuesday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but most wildfires in Southern California are caused by people, accidentally or intentionally. According to Caltrans, an average of 156,000 vehicles a day pass the Kenwood Avenue area — a endless source of sparking tail pipes, engine fires and discarded cigarette butts.
Richard Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute, drove through the pass earlier this summer.
“It was very stunning to me to see how much of that landscape through the Cajon Pass had been burned multiple times and was filled with invasive grasses.”
Native chaparral shrubs can’t survive repeated fires over a short time span. They yield to invasive grasses that ignite easily and burn quickly, increasing the fire threat.
“It’s not how we fight the fires. It’s how do we stop them from starting in the first place,” argued Halsey, who thinks Caltrans should consider placing concrete K-rail barriers along the freeway in the pass to stop sparks from flying into roadside vegetation.
The Blue Cut fire is but the latest reminder that “we’re living where it burns,” said Char Miller, a Pomona College professor of environmental analysis. Noting the huge evacuations ordered for the fire — some 83,000 people have been told to leave their homes — he questioned the wisdom of allowing so much development at the edge of high-fire zones.
“We don’t allow it in flood plains, we prevent earthquake damage, but we don’t do it with fire,” he added.
Five stubborn years of drought have made Southern California’s naturally flammable landscape even more fire prone.
“We have an amazing amount of standing dead shrubs in addition to extraordinarily low live-fuel moisture,” noted Marti Witter, a fire ecologist with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
“I’m really, really concerned about what’s going to happen” this fall if the region doesn’t get early rains and it’s a season of strong Santa Ana winds, she said. “We would be lined up for another firestorm year.”
Jennings and Esquivel reported from Lytle Creek, Boxall from Los Angeles. Times Staff writer Sarah Parvini contributed to this report.
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MORE ON BLUE CUT FIRE
The cause of most California wildfires? People
Wrightwood evacuation holdouts explain why they won’t leave
Summit Inn, a popular roadside diner, destroyed by wildfire in Cajon Pass
UPDATES:
7:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on the size of the fire.
This article was originally published at 3:40 p.m.
