Hundreds Trapped by Snow in Calif.

Dec. 31--Roadways have been cleared following a winter storm that landed in the Inland Empire Tuesday night dumping heavy snow and ice on roadways stranding motorists as they attempted to make it up to destinations near Crestline and Mt. Baldy.

A total of 136 motorists in dozens of vehicles became stranded on the steep, snowy switchbacks on State Highway 138 near Crestline, San Bernardino County fire officials reported.

"There were too many cars going slow speeds as the snow was rapidly falling," California Highway Patrol Officer Ron Jedlick said. "San Bernardino Police were dealing with a crash Tuesday night that had highway 18 closed for some time, so motorists diverted to highway 330 which eventually bottlenecked traffic going up and down the mountain."

About 50 people were stranded in similar conditions near Mount Baldy. Firefighters rescued those motorists and shuttled them to a fire station in San Antonio Heights being used as a temporary shelter.

Meanwhile back in Crestline, many of the stranded motorists abandoned their vehicles in order to hike to a church being used as a temporary shelter, officials said in a written statement. Some vehicles could drive away after snowplows cleared the powder from the road, but firefighters used a Snow-Cat vehicle to rescue those stranded in both regions. A snow-cat is a vehicle that uses tracks instead of wheels to maneuver through snowy terrain.

Firefighters finished the overnight rescues around 3 a.m. Wednesday, and no serious crashes or injuries were reported.

Full chain restrictions remained in place Wednesday for highways 330 and 18, according to Caltrans spokesman Philip Havens.

"The plows and tow companies have been working diligently to remove abandoned vehicles and the blankets of snow from the roadways," he said. "But when there's a significant event such as this full chain requirements are placed in effect."

Havens said restrictions on Highway 38 are a bit more lenient although motorists still need chains to traverse the icy roads.

Calls began coming in from stranded motorists around 7 p.m. Tuesday, as drivers found increasing difficulty negotiating the 10 percent grade and tight hairpin bends on the descent from the Baldy ski lifts, San Bernardino County Fire Department Public Information Officer Ryan Beckers said.

The ski lifts are situated at an altitude of about 6,000 feet. The National Weather Service said the winter storm that hit Southern California overnight would bring snow levels down to 2,000 feet in some areas.

About 25 vehicles were stranded uphill from the village, with another 25 caught downhill from the village, Beckers said.

All vehicle occupants had been evacuated by 4:45 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol online incident log, but their vehicles remained on the road.

Around 40 people stranded took shelter at the Mt. Baldy Lodge, but other rescued motorists were sheltered at a nearby county fire station until a shelter could be established at Upland Magnolia Recreation Center, Beckers said.

The road was open only to motorists with snowchains, according to the CHP incident log.

High winds also hindered traffic.

Shortly before 8:00 a.m. at the Interstate 15 to 210 freeway interchange a big rig overturned causing traffic issues for motorists.

CHP officials believe the high winds were the cause of the crash.

Several calls for service to San Bernardino city and county firefighters for power lines down have gone out throughout the morning hours.

Southern California Edison crews are busy working trying to repair the downed lines. As of 10:30 a.m. Edison reported about 600 utility customers were without power.

Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report

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