BARTON FLATS – (INT) – More than 1200 fire personnel are spending the holiday closing the remaining containment lines on the Lake Fire.

Four chippers and six excavators have been brought in to create a ‘cold line’ buffer.

Islands within the perimeter continue to burn. The Forest Service says fallen trees and stumps, could continue to burn, producing smoke for several weeks or months.

Helicopters are patrolling unstaffed areas of the fire, dropping water and inserting crews as needed to extinguish individual hotspots.

In the event a new fire start, the Forest Service says adequate resources are available to handle an initial attack.

The Lake Fire has been stopped at 31,359 acres.

An assortment of Forest Service roads are closed within the fire zone. Those include 2N93, 2N06, 1N54, 1N94, 1N09, 1N07, 1N72, 1N45 and 1N03.

All hiking trails into the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area remain closed including the Pacific Crest Trail between Whitewater Preserve and Onyx Summit.

Owners of cabins administered by the Forest Service are allowed access during the daytime, but overnight stays are not authorized at this time. This includes cabins in the Barton Flats, Stetson Creek, Round Cienega, Seven Oaks, Lost Creek, South Fork, and Fish Creek Tracts.

State Route 38 is open to through traffic. Access off of the highway will continue to be restricted to the staffs of nearby camps and recreation residence owners.

Meantime, a team of hydrologists and soil scientists are ready to swing into action to help rehabilitate the bgurn area.

Story Date: July 5, 2015