By Robert Rogers
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (California)
Copyright 2006 MediaNews Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
YUCCA VALLEY — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the efforts of the 4,000 firefighters battling two wildfires that continued to burn Saturday, nearly a week after lightning strikes sparked the blazes.
“We hope that within the next few days they continue to make great progress,” Schwarzenegger said after a briefing by fire officials. “The coordination of all the forces is extraordinary.’'
Schwarzenegger met fire officials Saturday morning in Yucca Valley less than a mile away from where the earth still smoldered in the wake of the massive Sawtooth Complex Fire, the larger of the two blazes.
The governor sat in the front row of a packed classroom at Yucca Valley High School, which serves as a command center for the Sawtooth fire.
Dressed casually and wearing cowboy boots, Schwarzenegger listened as fire commanders Rick Henson, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and Norm Walker, with the U.S. Forest Service, used updated maps to assess the status of the Sawtooth and the Millard Complex Fires north of Cabazon, which charred a combined 72,000 acres by mid-morning.
The Sawtooth fire’s advance had been snuffed on the eastern front but still raged out of control to the west. Officials said the blaze was 40 percent contained.
“These black lines — these are basically where the fire is controlled,” Henson said, tracing the eastern front of the jagged-bordered Sawtooth blaze. “It’s not really moving toward Big Bear right now, but it is still a threat.”
Walker added, “Today, we’re looking to get the southwest portion buttoned up. We have a large commitment of air tankers this morning trying to keep this thing — if it does come up (to the north) — coming up slowly.”
The Sawtooth fire’s 59,000 acres merged Friday with the nearly 10,000-acre-strong Millard fire that had sprung up southwest of the larger blaze. The fires, however, were being managed separately.
Before the briefing, Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver visited with hundreds of firefighters.
The governor later said of the firefighters, “It’s very heroic and it’s really great work that they’re doing.”
Schwarzenegger also said that lessons learned from the 2003 Old Fire were being applied in the Sawtooth and Millard blazes to prevent similar damages.
He said he would be willing to call on the National Guard to assist with evacuation efforts, if needed.
U.S. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, and San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales also attended the briefing.
Gonzales said the governor’s visit was a boon to local fire-fighting efforts and an affirmation of the Inland Empire’s standing in California.
“We’ve got a governor who is interested and hands-on,” Gonzales said. “He rushed right in and brought his friendly and easy manner to the crisis, giving the local people and the firefighters assurance that he cares and will provide additional help if needed.
“The appearance also shows that the Inland Empire is in the forefront of the governor’s mind.”