Wrightwood residents describe harrowing scene as Bridge fire tore through town

As smoke hung heavily and ashes flurried in the air early Thursday, Sept. 12, the town of Wrightwood appeared to be largely still intact following the Bridge fire‘s stampede through town.

The fire raged along Highway 2 near Flume Canyon Drive at the west end of town Tuesday night, coming within a few feet of homes on the south end of Highway 2 and fully surrounding those on the north side. Fire officials say the fire ultimately claimed 13 structures in Wrightwood, and nearby Mountain High Resort suffered slight damage.

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Evidence of the blaze could be seen early Thursday as crews worked to quell hotspots and additional burns. After erupting Sunday in the Angeles National Forest, the Bridge fire consumed more than 51,000 acres by midday Thursday and was at zero percent containment. Evacuations ordered in Wrightwood earlier in the week remained in effect Thursday.

Though cooler weather overnight Wednesday lessened fire activity, Wrightwood residents described a harrowing scene earlier in the week.

Chris Skinner, a history teacher who lives in Wrightwood, chose to remain after evacuation orders were given, he said, working to save several of his neighbors’ homes in addition to his own.

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”My buddy did a lot of the actual fire-fighting himself as we have a portable firefighting rig that we bought,” Skinner said in an interview. “He was able to save the neighbor’s house.”

The entire neighborhood on Swallow Hill Drive appeared to be surrounded by fire and that it was dark by 3 p.m. that day.

“It was stressful, very stressful,” he said. “It was quite the deal and it came really quick.”

Skinner described very hot conditions with dry air and embers flying around as he worked with his neighbor and an engine crew to save homes on the street.

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“You don’t feel much of anything. You’re just going straight ahead in a straight line and just trying to figure out what’s best to do because time is of the essence,” Skinner said. “My biggest fear was that if one house catches … it would light the trees on fire and then you’d have a canopy fire.”

Skinner said he continued to put out hotspots with the portable hose.

“It was just adrenaline … adrenaline for about eight hours from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. that night,” he said. “It’s an experience I won’t forget.”

Skinner said that during the bight he was awakened by loud booming noises coming from open gas lines that were burning.

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“It was something out of a movie and all you hear is a roaring sound,” he said. “The whole hillside was orange … it looked like hell.”

Cynthia Fleury, a longtime Wrightwood resident who lives just a few doors down from Skinner, initially evacuated to Phelan with her husband, Jeff, and small dog, Daisy. Unfortunately, they had to leave behind their pony, Annabell.

“I saw our neighbor’s house on the news with a wall of flames behind it and thought, ‘my God, our house is gone!’” Fleury said in an interview.

“The red embers were falling in our yard and my husband said we have to go,” she said. “All I could say was, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s on our street.’ ”

As she, her husband and dog drove away Tuesday night, the field adjacent to their house was ablaze as fire crews worked to control the fire.

When they returned to check on their home and Annabell, Fleury said she was relieved to find both were still standing. The pony was even receiving some pets from firefighters, she said.

“Our neighbors helped to save our house,” she said.

Fire crews from multiple agencies continued their work around town Thursday, scouting hotspots and doing maintenance work.

Smoke still rose from the hills above Wrightwood Thursday afternoon.

Evacuation orders will remain in place while local agencies assess the damages and work to restore utilities, officials said.

“We have to restore infrastructure so we can return power, water and gas to the town,” Eric Sherwin, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said in an interview. “If we lift the evacuation now then people are coming back to structures (without power and water) and we want them to come back to homes.”