San Bernardino Superior Court’s Big Bear office will shut operations until Oct. 5 due to the Radford Fire burning less than two miles south of the courthouse, San Bernardino Superior Court announced today.
The Big Bear district is open only the first Wednesday of each month, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and hears only traffic cases. It also provides limited services on small claims, landlord tenant, restraining orders, family law, child support and civil cases. People may sign up for traffic school, schedule court dates and pay certain payments at the office.
A Forest Service helicopter spotted the Radford Fire 1:30 p.m. Sept. 5, according to the San Bernardino National Forest’s incidents page.
It reached 646 acres, roughly 1 square mile, with 0% containment by 3:42 p.m., the National Forest reported.
It is south of Snow Summit, north of Highway 38 and northeast of the Camp Radford reservoir it is named after, according to the National Forest’s map.
Six ground crews are making a hand-line around the fire, and 16 air resources are dropping water and fire retardant, according to the National Forest. Three hundred and fifty personnel are working on the fire.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff ordered an evacuation in parts of Big Bear, as little as a block away from the courthouse.
The fire is the sixth largest currently burning in California. The Fairvew Fire, discovered Sept. 5, southeast of Hemet is larger, at 4,500 acres. Part of Hemet is also ordered to evacuate, due to the Fairview Fire.
For updates, check the official incidents page and CalFire’s website.
