Below is a summary of selected news coverage of the Oct. 30-31 closure due to a power disruption to the area possibly caused by high, gusty winds.
Hillside fire in north San Bernardino is 50% contained, evacuations lifted
Redlands Daily Facts/The Sun/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/The Press-Enterprise/Southern California News Group
By ERIC LICAS | elicas@scng.com, RICHARD K. DE ATLEY | rdeatley@scng.com, ALMA FAUSTO | afausto@scng.com, JEONG PARK | jeongpark@scng.com and BROOKE STAGGS | bstaggs@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: October 31, 2019 at 2:53 am | UPDATED: October 31, 2019 at 6:37 pm
The Hillside fire that broke out early Thursday, Oct. 31, in north San Bernardino has charred 200 acres, destroyed eight homes and damaged 18 others near Highway 18 and Lower Waterman Canyon.
Crews continued to battle flames and hotspots into the evening, but San Bernardino County Fire officials said the blaze was holding at 50% containment and hadn’t grown in size since midday Thursday. …
Fire officials believe the blaze broke out in the hills above San Bernardino at around 1:38 a.m. Investigators have pinned down where the fire started but not what caused it, though they said there aren’t any power lines in the area.
The reference is to the recent power outages by Southern California Edison and other utilities throughout the state as a preemptive move to prevent fires when high winds blow through. Thousands throughout Southern California had power shutdown Wednesday, including Cal State San Bernardino that was closed again Thursday due to outages.
Maria, Getty, Hillside: Latest fire-related evacuations and closures
KCBS 2/ KCAL 9 October 31, 2019 at 11:58 pm
Two new wildfires broke out Thursday in the Inland Empire amid high Santa Ana winds, prompting thousands more people to evacuate. Dozens of schools are closed Thursday. Here is the latest information about those fires and procedures. …
FRIDAY SCHOOL CLOSURES:
San Bernardino County:
Cal State San Bernardino — Opening at 10 a.m
San Bernardino fire scorches 500 acres; evacuations lifted
Banning-Beaumont Patch
By Renee Schiavone, Patch Staff
Oct 31, 2019 1:14 pm ET | Updated Oct 31, 2019 10:13 pm ET
Hundreds of firefighters responded Thursday to a large wildfire burning near the the San Bernardino National Forest. The Hillside Fire was first reported at 1:38 a.m. off Highway 18 near north San Bernardino and prompted hundreds of evacuations for most of the day.
San Bernardino County fire crews will spend the night at the scene of the fire, which remained at 50 percent containment at 6:42 p.m. …
Nearby Cal State University San Bernardino is not affected by the evacuations, but the campus was closed Thursday as a result of both the ongoing power outage nearby.
Hillside Fire: Evacuations being lifted in San Bernardino as firefighters reach 50% containment on 200-acre blaze
KABC 7 Los Angeles
Oct. 31, 2019
Evacuations were being lifted as firefighters gained the upper hand Thursday afternoon on the wind-whipped Hillside Fire that erupted in San Bernardino early in the morning, scorching some 200 acres.
By early afternoon, firefighters said they had reached 50% containment, after the blaze had forced mandatory evacuations and ravaged a number of homes.
The evacuation orders were being lifted as of 6 p.m. …
Cal State San Bernardino was closed as it remained without power, excluding its Palm Desert campus. Officials with the San Bernardino City Unified School District said its schools remain open and are monitoring the fire.
Cal State San Bernardino will remain closed Thursday because of high winds
The Sun/Southern California News Group
By ROBERT GUNDRAN | rgundran@scng.com |
PUBLISHED: October 30, 2019 at 7:31 pm | UPDATED: October 30, 2019 at 7:31 pm
Cal State San Bernardino will remain closed for class and business on Thursday, Oct. 31, due to Southern California Edison extending its power safety shutoff.
The university was closed on Wednesday after power was shut off around 3:20 a.m. The Palm Desert campus will remain open.
A high-wind warning is in place through 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.
Santa Ana winds whip through region to create ‘extreme’ fire warnings
Pasadena Star-News/Southern California News Group
By STEVE SCAUZILLO | sscauzillo@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
PUBLISHED: October 30, 2019 at 7:59 am | UPDATED: October 30, 2019 at 6:38 pm
The Santa Ana winds blew through the mountain canyons Wednesday as predicted, fanningwildfires, upending big-rigs and leaving thousands of Southern Californians without power. …
In an effort to prevent live power lines from falling into brush and starting a fire, Southern California Edison shut off power to more than 73,000 customers as of 6 p.m. Wednesday and some of those outages led to school closures, like at Cal State San Bernardino.
A wildfire has engulfed homes in San Bernardino, and strong winds threaten to stoke other California blazes
CNN
By Madeline Holcombe, Cheri Mossburg and Jason Hanna, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Thu October 31, 2019
A fresh wildfire engulfed a few homes and threatened others early Thursday in Southern California's San Bernardino, officials said, stunning residents who awoke to rushed evacuation orders as the blaze raced from the hillsides into at least one neighborhood.
The Hillside Fire -- which started sometime after midnight in vegetation above San Bernardino -- quickly consumed about 200 acres, officials said, and is one of at least 10 active wildfires in a state plagued by them in recent weeks.
At least two homes were ablaze in northern San Bernardino well before dawn Thursday. Hundreds of firefighters were there, trying to contain the flames, and firefighting aircraft were expected to join as soon as the sun rose, San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Chris Prater said.
The fire was a few miles away from Cal State San Bernardino, which was closed Thursday because the regional utility intentionally cut power as a precaution, hoping to prevent fires in the red-flag conditions. The campus lost power at 3:20 a.m. Thursday.
Evacuations have been ordered for about 490 homes in northern San Bernardino, accounting for about 1,300 people, the county fire department said.
Latest Fire-Related Evacuations and Closures
KCBS/KCAL Los Angeles
October 31, 2019 at 5:45 am
High winds Wednesday intensified a number of wildfires in the Southland prompting thousands to evacuate and dozens of schools to close Thursday. …
THURSDAY SCHOOL CLOSURES:
San Bernardino County:
- Cal State San Bernardino
Hillside Fire immediately forces mandatory evacuations in San Bernardino
FOX 11 Los Angeles
By Kelli Johnson|Published 3 hours ago|Updated 21 mins ago
Mandatory evacuations were ordered after a wind-driven fire broke out in San Bernardino early Thursday morning.
The blaze, named The Hillside Fire, was reported at 1:40 a.m. in the area of Highway 18 and Lower Waterman Canyon in northern San Bernardino. The vegetation fire quickly erupted to 200 acres and threatened homes within a few hours.
COLLEGE AND SCHOOL CLOSURES
California State University, San Bernardino was closed due to a Southern California Edison public safety power shutoff. The Palm Desert campus remained open.
Hillside fire: Evacuations, shelters, road and school closures in San Bernardino
Los Angeles Times
By HANNAH FRYSTAFF WRITER
OCT. 31, 2019 6:30 AM
The wind-driven Hillside fire broke out about 1:40 a.m. near Highway 18 and Lower Waterman Canyon in San Bernardino. The fire quickly charred 200 acres and burned homes in the North Park neighborhood.
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Cal State San Bernardino
Cal State San Bernardino will be closed Wednesday because of high winds
The Sun/The Press-Enterprise/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/Redlands Daily Facts/Southern California News Group
By BRIAN ROKOS | brokos@scng.com | The Press-Enterprise
PUBLISHED: October 29, 2019 at 7:31 pm | UPDATED: October 29, 2019 at 7:34 pm
Cal State San Bernardino will be closed for classes and business operations Wednesday, Oct. 30, in anticipation of an electricity shutoff because of high winds and severe wildfire danger, the university announced Tuesday.
The Palm Desert campus will remain open. The university will issue an update at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
SoCal fire danger: Homeowners, schools preparing for powerful winds, potential wildfires
KABC 7 Los Angeles
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 9:39PM
With some of the most powerful Santa Ana winds in years expected to hit Southern California overnight, communities throughout the region are preparing for what could be a very dangerous time for fires. …
In some communities, schools are already closing in anticipation of the danger.
Cal State San Bernardino announced it will close the campus on Wednesday. The campus will update the community Wednesday night about its status for the next day.
CSUSB SB Campus to Close Wednesday, Oct. 30
High Desert Daily
by admin • October 29, 2019
CSUSB’s San Bernardino campus will be closed for classes and business operations tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 30 as the Inland Region has received a high wind warning with gusts up to 80 mph from the National Weather Service.
CSUSB will send an update on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. regarding the campus status for Thursday, Oct. 31.