Officials urge Angelus Oaks residents to evacuate after El Dorado Fire jumps defense line
Fire officials battling the El Dorado Fire have issued a second push to get residents out of Angelus Oaks in the San Bernardino National Forest after the blaze jumped a defense line overnight.
"We are really encouraging everybody that is left here to please evacuate and heed to the evacuation notice in this community," said Tim Pitts, Incident Command Team Public Information Officer.
All residents who have not yet evacuated in the Angelus Oaks area please EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. @CALFIREBDU @CHP_San_Berdoo @sbcountysheriff @SBCOUNTYFIRE
— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) September 14, 2020
"This is a dangerous situation, it could change immediately," Pitts said.
An evacuation order had already been issued for Angelus Oaks and Forests Falls, which are communities that sit below the burn area. On Monday firefighters occupied residential areas to defend nearby homes.
"Went into a drainage area between 2 canyons and started what we call a run," Pitts said.
Many homes were marked with signs outside indicating occupancy. Despite most people heeding the evacuation warning, some stayed behind.
"[I'm] waiting for the fire department to make me leave," said Danny Campbell, an Angelus Oaks resident.
Campbell evacuated once before, but returned home. Since then he has been waiting it out while helping neighbors.
"I've been going through town, feeding cats, looking for cats, I fed a hamster," Campbell said.
As of Monday there were more than 1,300 crew members actively fighting the blaze, which burned 16,490 acres and remained at 53% containment.
"They have been working back up behind this division right here, the subdivision of houses to help cut line and just do a contingency line, make sure it doesn't come into this community," Pitts said.
