Updated: 5:14 a.m. Aug. 14
First discovered: 9 days ago, 12:57 p.m. Aug. 5
Initial location: 1 mile northeast of Holcomb Valley Campground, San Bernardino County, Calif.
Fire unit: San Bernardino National Forest
Fire type: Wildfire
Fire name: 2025 Bdf Gold Fire
2025 Bdf Gold Fire initially started 12:57 p.m. Aug. 5 in San Bernardino County, California.
After being active for nine days, it has burned 1,036 acres. 85% of the fire was brought under containment by a crew of 200 firefighters as of Thursday morning. However, the cause is still being investigated.
Fuels involved in this wildfire, according to InciWeb: “Timber (grass & understory) Chaparral Tall Grass.”
The involvement unit projected that the fire will be fully extinguished by Aug. 19, 5 p.m.
More reports from InciWeb:
• Incident overview:
“INITIAL SITUATION: San Bernardino National Forest firefighters responded to reports of a wildfire one mile NE of Holcomb Valley Campground in Big Bear, in the morning of Monday, August 4th, 2025. Holcomb Valley Campground was evacuated and remains closed. Local Forest road closures are now in effect. CURRENT SITUATION: The ending size of the Gold Fire is 1036 acres due to more accurate mapping of the fire perimeter. Today the San Bernardino National Forest Type 3 Team is taking over the fire. Mop-up, suppression repair, mitigating hazard trees and putting out the few places with a little smoke in the interior of the fire area are the main tasks in cleaning up this fire. An excavator will also be working to move rocks back in place along the John Bull Trail that were moved for firefighter entry. It will also be used to deck the logs of cut hazard trees. Note that this is the final current situation update unless significant activity occurs. FOREST VISITORS: A Temporary Forest Closure Order 05-12-52-25-03 has been implemented. Holcomb Valley Campground, John Bull Trail, and Holcomb Valley, are being impacted by the Gold Fire. Snags (dead standing trees), and widow-makers (broken limbs suspended in tree branches) ash pits (large holes filled with hot ash and embers from incinerated trees and shrubs), equipment and fire personnel are some of the many safety risks to the public. For your safety and the safety of our firefighters please honor the Forest Order and stay clear of the closed area. This order is a temporary order and will remain in place until September 7, 2025. The San Bernardino National Forest has 900 miles of Off Road trails for your enjoyment during the closure. The full closure order and map can be viewed here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/sanbernardino/alerts/gold-fire-area-closure AREA CLOSURES: The following recreation sites and Forest Service roads are temporarily closed for fire personnel and public safety. Recreation Sites: Holcomb Valley CampgroundTanglewood Group CampgroundPinnacles Climbing Area Forest Service Roads: 3N10 and all spur roads, 3N07 and all spur roads, 3N323N433N093N023N053N233N263N543N613N763N793N823N83 KNOW WHERE YOU CAN FLY: Drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease. When drones interfere with firefighting efforts, a wildfire has the potential to grow larger and cause more damage. A FAA Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect and any private aircraft or drone that violates the TFR could face serious criminal charges. For more information on drones the public can visit the FAA’s website at www. KnowBeforeYouFly.org “If you fly, we can’t! ”.”
• Projected incident activity:
“Sunny, warm, and dry with highs 76-80°F and minimum RH 12-16%. SW winds 6-10 mph, gusts 14 mph, increasing to 20 mph on exposed ridges In the afternoon. Spread potential remains low, but receptive fuels and gusty winds could produce isolated flare-ups.”
• Planned actions on this wildfire:
“Patrol and mop up residual heat, focusing on Arctic Canyon where rollout hazards persist. Continue backhaul of excess equipment from completed areas. Mitigate hazard trees and complete suppression repair operations in accordance with the approved plan. The San Bernardino National Forest Type 3 Team will continue this work.”
• Weather concerns:
“Gradual cooling trend beginning today. Highs over the fire area will reach the low 80s, with minimum relative humidity in the midteens. Mostly light northwest winds will prevail today, shifting to southwest later this evening. A trough of low pressure approaching the West Coast on Wednesday will initiate a cooling trend that is expected to continue into the weekend.”
Please note that these reports are automatically published and unreviewed quotes from InciWeb. Therefore they might be incomplete, hard to read or include misspelled words.
Fire containment
What does 85% containment mean?
The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 85% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 15% is still uncontrolled.
Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire. It is normally expressed as a percentage and it refers to how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded/enclosed by a control line that firefighters create. The containment percentage indicates a certain level of control, but it doesn’t always correlate to safety level. Also, it’s important to note that containment doesn’t mean a fire is out.
How is containment measured?
The incident’s central command constantly receives progress reports from firefighters on the ground. As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage. The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.
Source: InciWeb