Footage of Mountain High’s ski lifts in the midst of the Bridge fire Tuesday night. Photo: KCAL
Heartbreaking footage appeared online Tuesday night showing California’s Bridge fire reaching a small and beloved ski resort in Wrightwood – Mountain High. But on Wednesday morning, with the fire expanding over 47,000 acres and at zero percent containment, according to local fire officials, Mountain High’s lodge and the few lifts that cover the small resort turned out to be safe.
Amazingly, resort employees had the foresight to fire up snow-making machines in a rush to evacuate the area. Fire officials believe it may have been enough to help keep the resort from being destroyed. The footage that had gone viral Tuesday night was captured on the resort’s ski-lift webcam feed, leading many to believe that the lifts wouldn’t be standing much longer. As a small resort that covers less than 300 square acres, losing the lodge and any main lifts could have been detrimental to Mountain High’s future.
“Fire raced through the area yesterday but GREAT NEWS! All the main lifts & buildings survived with little to no damage,” Mountain High shared in a surprising update. “THANK YOU to the fire fighters & employees for their hard work! Our hearts go out to the Wrightwood community, WE ARE WITH YOU.”
BRIDGE FIRE UPDATE
Fire raced through the area yesterday but GREAT NEWS! All the main lifts & buildings survived with little to no damage. THANK YOU to the fire fighters & employees for their hard work! Our hearts go out to the Wrightwood community, WE ARE WITH YOU. #BRIDGEFIRE pic.twitter.com/pLw9rXWmyP— Mountain High (@mthigh) September 11, 2024
The status of the entire ski area is still uncertain. Sadly, around 20 homes near Mt. Baldy and 13 in Wrightwood were destroyed while six cabins in the wilderness were lost in the fire as of Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, fire officials still reported that the Mountain High area was under threat from the fire. All of Mountain High’s cameras went dark between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, so reports on their status will most likely be left to future updates from the resort’s staff.
