Three significant Southern Californi wildfires forced the closure of parishes, schools and the Diocesan Pastoral Center in September. In addition, the diocese joined in the major disaster response effort to help those affected by the Line Fire in San Bernardino County, the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties.
The Line Fire, which ignited at Baseline Street and Alpine Street in Highland on Sept. 5, traveled aggressively to the foothills and up the canyons toward San Bernardino mountain communities, causing mandatory evacuations and closure of St. John Bosco Mission in Highland and St. Anne in the Mountains parish in Running Springs.
As the Line Fire progressed, mountain parishes Our Lady of the Lake in Lake Arrowhead, St. Joseph in Big Bear and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Crestline worked remotely or reduced office hours so that parishioners and staff remained at home, should a mandatory evacuation order be issued. Father Michal Osuch, CR, pastor of both Our Lady of the Lake and St. Anne in the Mountains took special precaution to protect sacramental records and other precious resources of the two parishes.
“Everything is in my car because of the possibility of evacuation,” Fr. Osuch said on Sept. 7.
In addition, the Diocesan Pastoral Center in San Bernardino was closed from Sept. 9- 17 due to the air quality impacts of the fire. Similarly, parishes and Catholic schools in Highland and San Bernardino closed during the week of Sept. 9-13 due to poor air quality conditions.
“The greatest impact to the Bear Valley was the poor air quality and the uncertainty of the fire coming up over the hill,” said Madeline M. Westover, Secretary at St. Joseph, Big Bear. “The firefighters did a magnificent job of not letting that happen, for which we are eternally grateful.”
Fortunately, despite an aggressive spread to more than 40,000 acres, there were no major injuries and only the loss of one structure. However, the impacts of the fire on major mountain roadways such as Highway 18 and Highway 330 will continue to cause challenges as winter approaches with storms and mud-slide risks as a result of the loss of acreage.
Second, the Bridge Fire, which began on Sept. 8 in Los Angeles County within the San Gabriel mountains, spread rapidly across the mountains and impacted parishes and retreat centers in Wrightwood, including the closure of Our Lady of the Snows Parish. Initially, Saint Junipero Serra Parish in Phelan was designated as a potential evacuation site but became an untenable option as the smoke and fire spread due to winds forced the relocation of a suitable evacuation site to the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville. Parishes in the High Desert were able to remain open, but on reduced schedules – in order to respond quickly to any public agency request to evacuate.
Third, the Airport Fire, which began on Sept. 9 in the Trabuco Canyon area of Orange County, swept quickly through the canyons to Riverside County, greatly impacting the more rural areas of Lake Elsinore. More than 160 structures were destroyed, including many residential buildings – resulting in a major temporary shelter and housing demand for those who lost their homes. St. Francis of Rome Parish in Wildomar offered assistance to evacuees in coordination with emergency teams from Riverside County CalFire, but long-standing recovery will be necessary to assist these households.
As they flames and smoke increased across the region Bishop Alberto Rojas issued a statement on September 10 calling on the faithful to pray for an support victims of the fires.
“I invite all to join me in prayer for the safety of those in the path of the fires and also for the brave men and women who are working to extinguish the flames,” the Bishop wrote. “We ask God in His Mercy to spare homes, properties and lives during this time of peril.”
Ann Marie Gallant, Director of the Diocesan Office of Emergency Operations Collaborative (EOC), reflected on the impact of the fires and the ongoing recovery effort.
“While we are blessed that there were no fatalities from these three horrendous forest fires, post-containment recovery will continue for several more weeks,” she said. “We are grateful for the outreach and assistance from our Knights of Columbus leadership, in providing water, emergency supplies, such as masks, to aid in this response and recovery effort.”
The Arrowhead Desert Valley Chapter of the Knights of Columbus officers and State Deputy met at the Pastoral Center with Vicar General, Monsignor Gerard Lopez, to bring supplies to support the fire victims.
The Diocesan EOC office will continue to work with County emergency operations offices to determine and provide needed assistance, including providing water, food, clothing or connecting with temporary and permanent shelter options. The EOC will be outreaching to parishes and ministries, as needed, in this effort, Gallant said.
Although all three fires had reached 80-90 percent containment at press time, they are likely to pose additional challenges during the winter season. Gallant said damaged roads, burned brush and loss of structures on-site will increase risks of flooding, mudslides and, potentially, additional property damage. The EOC recommends continued precaution while traveling through these impacted areas.
If your parish is in need due to the recent SoCal fires, please contact the Diocesan Office of Emergency Operations Collaborative at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.