Three major wildfires in Southern California's mountains east of Los Angeles torched dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to flee their towns, officials said Wednesday.
At least a dozen people, mostly firefighters, were treated for injuries that were mostly heat-related, authorities said. One person from Orange County suffered burns. No deaths have been reported.
The wildfires have been endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures across the region after they sprung to life during a triple-digit heat wave over the weekend. Other major fires were burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people had to flee a blaze outside Reno.
California is only now heading into the teeth of the wildfire season but already has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023. The White House said President Joe Biden was monitoring the wildfires in the West and urged residents to heed state and local evacuation orders.
The three major blazes in the state include:
- The Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties, which has burned more than 23,000 acres, leaving in its wake charred cars and rubble and pushing into neighboring Riverside County. Authorities said eight firefighters and two residents were injured in the fire, which was sparked by heavy equipment working in the area. As of Wednesday evening, it was not contained at all, according to Cal Fire.
- The Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest, which has charred over 36,000 acres and injured three firefighters. Authorities said it was caused by arson and arrested a man Tuesday. Cal Fire said it was about 18% contained as of Wednesday evening.
- The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles, which has grown tenfold in a day, burning over 49,000 acres and burning homes in the mountain community of Wrightwood. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. It was 0% contained as of Wednesday evening.
Two of the fires began on Monday, while the Line Fire started last week.
With so many fires raging at once, crews were at their limits, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.
“As a region, we’re currently at drawdown for fire personnel and resources,” he said, adding that authorities have requested assistance from Northern California and nearby states.
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent National Guard troops in to help with evacuations.
In Southern California, cooler temperatures were expected to potentially start tempering fire activity.
The wildfires have been endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures across the region after they sprung to life during a triple-digit heat wave that finally broke Wednesday. Other major fires were burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people had to flee a blaze outside Reno.
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Evacuation orders in Southern California were expanded as the wildfires grew late Tuesday. Alex Luna, a 20-year-old missionary, was among those who heeded the calls to leave Wrightwood.
"It was very, I would say, hellish-like," Luna said late Tuesday. "Ash was falling from the sky like if it was snowing."
In Riverside County, the Airport Fire reached El Cariso Village, a community of 250 people along Highway 74, when some residents scrambled to evacuate on the road clogged with fire trucks and firefighters, and the sky turned dark and began raining ash. An Associated Press photographer saw at least 10 homes and several cars engulfed in flames.
In San Bernardino County, evacuation orders included parts of the popular ski town Big Bear. Some 65,600 homes and buildings were under threat by the Line Fire, nearly double the number from early Tuesday, and residents along the southern edge of Big Bear Lake, a popular destination for anglers, mountain bikers and hikers, were told to leave.
The blaze blanketed the area with a thick cloud of dark smoke, which provided shade for firefighters trying to get ahead of winds expected later on Wednesday, said Fabian Herrera, a spokesperson for the Line Fire, which was 14% contained.
"In certain areas, it gets so thick it blocks the sunlight altogether," Herrera said.
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The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced Tuesday the arrest of a man from the town of Norco who was suspected of starting the Line Fire on Sept. 5 in Highland. He was charged with arson and was held in lieu of $80,000 bail. Officials did not specify what was used to start the fire.
On the Nevada border with California near Reno, the Davis Fire destroyed one home and a dozen structures and charred more than 8 square miles of timber and brush along the Sierra Nevada's eastern front. Truckee Meadows Fire District Chief Charles Moore said he ordered off-duty firefighters back to work Wednesday as the National Weather Service forecast winds could gust up to 40 mph, creating "a particularly dangerous situation ... an exceptionally rare event."
