Apple season arrives in Oak Glen after Line fire left it untouched

"We're open," is the message Oak Glen is sending out to Southern California.

The Line fire that has burned through huge swaths of the San Bernardino Mountains since Sept. 5 bypassed the mountain community.

"It really didn't affect us," said Michael Hudson, owner of Snow-Line Orchard. "We had a little bit of smoke and ash on the roof."

Last week's rain took care of the ash, he said in a phone interview.

Oak Glen is known for its apple orchards. Tourism season begins Labor Day weekend as stone fruits ripen.

But the community hasn't always been lucky in late summer. The Eldorado fire forced evacuations in September 2020. Two years later, flooding caused evacuation orders for Oak Glen and Forest Falls. Mudslides ravaged Oak Glen Steakhouse, which shut down for repairs until January 2023.

The Line fire slowed tourism, but it's picking up, according to Hudson. He said this year's apple crop is good and the u-pick raspberry season will last another two weeks, depending on nature and demand.

Big Bear's Oktoberfest, which started the same weekend as the Line fire, is also carrying on. The fire, which has consumed nearly 40,000 acres and is currently 67% contained , did not burn into Big Bear Valley, although it limited access to the city.

"We now have so much more to celebrate," a Facebook post proclaimed last week.