OAK HILLS, Calif.
The Summit Inn diner, a staple along the historic U.S. Route 66, was destroyed in the Blue Cut Fire on Tuesday. The diner, located at 5970 Mariposa Rd., was established atop the summit of Cajon Pass in 1952. Celebrities graced the diner during its heyday, including Elvis Presley, who reportedly learned his records weren't in the jukebox and walked out without eating. While well-known for the ambience, the Summit Inn also had great food, including its famous ostrich burgers and ostrich omelets.
Route 66 was one of the original highways within the U.S. highway system and stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles, ending officially at the Santa Monica Pier. The portion of Route 66 that the Summit Inn sat along was later replaced by Interstate 15.
The blaze spread over bone-dry hillsides and toward the San Bernardino National Forest, destroying homes, businesses, a historic diner and at least one church. An exact tally of the structure damage was not immediately available.
The fast-moving blaze forced several evacuations, including the entire community of Wrightwood, which has about 4,500 residents. In all, authorities stated 82,000 people had been evacuated and 34,500 homes were affected by the evacuations. "Got all the dogs out, and the two kitties," evacuee Royce Bordes said frantically. "There are fires all around it (the home). But the firemen are doing a wonderful job." Six firefighters became entrapped by the wildfire while defending homes in the Swarthout Canyon area, west of Cajon Pass, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. The firefighters were able to take shelter in a nearby structure, but two firefighters suffered minor injuries. The injured firefighters were taken to the hosptial where they were treated and released.
