California Wildfire Places Churches, Homes, and Cities in Jeopardy

Firefighters in California are currently struggling to contain the Blue Cut Fire, a growing 56-square-mile wildfire currently burning about 25 miles northwest of San Bernardino. The fire has already destroyed multiple homes and businesses and has led to the evacuation of more than 80,000 people. 

According to John Martin, pastor of Victorville (California) First Assembly of God and presbyter for the region being impacted by the fire, although no AG churches are currently in the direct path of the blaze, homes of members of AG churches in Phelan and some of Victorville First AG’s six campuses are in serious jeopardy. 

“Many members of Harvest Christian Center (AG) in Phelan and our campuses in Hesperia and here in Victorville live in areas threatened by the fire, such as the Oak Hills area and Wrightwood, which are now under a mandatory evacuation order.” 

Martin says that as of Thursday morning only four percent of the fire was contained and with 25 mile-per-hour winds expected to last through Friday, firefighters have an extremely difficult task before them. And according InciWeb, the government’s online Incident Information System, the fire has been unusual in its ferocity, stating, “Structures are known to have been damaged or destroyed but cannot currently be assessed due to the extreme fire behavior and growth.” 

InciWeb also indicates that there are currently nearly 1,600 personnel on the scene, 178 engines, 26 crews, 10 air tankers, two very large air tankers, and 17 helicopters, with additional firefighters and equipment ordered to respond directly to the fire. 

“There are all sorts of helicopters and air transports in the sky, they even have a DC-10 employed to drop fire retardants,” Martin says. “But we have closed down our school, Victor Valley Christian School, like all schools in the area. It’s a day-by-day thing, for right now at least, just due to air quality.” 

However, area churches are not sitting idly by and are already looking to help current and future victims of the blaze. 

“Church leaders in the community are connecting with San Bernardino County officials this afternoon [Thursday, Aug. 18] to determine how to best come alongside people who need help and how to best coordinate with the county in reaching out to families that are hurting or displaced.” 

Although Martin is not making any kind of appeal for aid at this time, he does share one request: “Pray for us. Pray that God would intervene and for rain to fall out of the sky.”

Dan Van Veen

Dan Van Veen is news editor of AG News. Prior to transitioning to AG News in 2001, Van Veen served as managing editor of AG U.S. Missions American Horizon magazine for five years. He attends Central Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri, where he and his wife, Lori, teach preschool Sunday School and 4- and 5-year-old Rainbows boys and girls on Wednesdays.