Bridge, Line, Airport and Davis fires grow in California and Nevada, displacing thousands
A resident walks by his car packed with belongings as Highway 330 is engulfed by the Line Fire near Running Springs
By Chris Boyette and Cindy Von Quednow, CNN
(CNN) — Wildfires in California and Nevada are driving thousands from their homes as firefighters in the air and on the ground work to contain them, amid daytime temperatures nearing 100 degrees. Here is the latest:
More than 70 active large wildfires across the western United States have burned more than 2 million acres, officials say, resulting in emergency declarations across the region. Those who do not have to evacuate are dealing with lost power, closed schools and canceled plans due to fires and excessive heat.
Parts of Southern California were being especially hit hard Tuesday evening, with three major fires – the Bridge Fire in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties; the Line Fire east of San Bernardino; and the Airport Fire in Orange County – forcing evacuations and testing firefighting capacities.
Those three fires were “stressing resources … so we’re asking for resources from Northern California and adjoining states,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Tuesday evening. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a grant to help reimburse the costs of fighting the Bridge and Airport fires, he said in a post on X Tuesday evening.
While 71 active large fires were burning across the US as of Tuesday morning – having scorched more than 2.2 million acres – the majority of fires were raging west of the Mississippi River, including in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, according to the federal government’s National Fire Information Center
Wildfires in California, Idaho and Nevada have proven especially alarming, as flames and record heat have led to evacuations and the destruction of homes and businesses.
• Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties: A fire inside the Angeles National Forest jumped in size from a few thousand acres early Tuesday to 34,240 acres by Tuesday night, according to Cal Fire.
Because of the Bridge Fire, mandatory evacuations were ordered Tuesday for the Mount Baldy area in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties and the nearby Wrightwood community in San Bernadino County, Marrone said on Tuesday evening.
“We urge everyone who’s under an evacuation order to leave now,” Marrone said. “Leaving early will give you and your family the best chance of surviving this incident. You will also help firefighters and law enforcement and sheriff’s deputies by keeping roads open so they can do their job.”
Several roads in the national forest have also been closed, forest officials said in a Facebook post. “High winds and low humidity are aiding the spread of the fire,” Cal Fire said.
• Line Fire east of San Bernardino, California: The Line Fire has burned 34,289 acres and was 14% contained as of late Tuesday night, Cal Fire said. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced mandatory evacuation orders for about 4,800 homes in the Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake areas. Hundreds more have been evacuated in the cities of Highland, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks and Seven Oaks.
More than 65,000 structures were under threat, Cal Fire said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the California National Guard Monday afternoon to help evacuated communities affected by the blaze, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Additionally, the agency will deploy four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, two C-130 aircraft with modular airborne firefighting systems and four 20-person hand crews, Newsom announced.
The conflagration started Thursday, and more than 2,000 fire personnel are battling the fire, according to Cal Fire. The blaze has injured three people, though authorities have not released any details about the extent of injuries.
The blaze was active throughout Monday, Cal Fire officials said.
A Red Flag Warning was to be effect in the area from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT Tuesday, according to Cal Fire. That means gusty winds were expected over the fire, leading to low humidity and dry vegetation. Stronger winds are predicted Tuesday evening, which could lead to further drops in relative humidity and greater fire spread, officials said. “Towards the end of the week, cooler weather may moderate fire activity,” Cal Fire said.
• Airport Fire in Orange County, California: The blaze burning in the Trabuco Canyon area of Orange County exploded from 7 acres to 5,900 acres in about four hours Monday afternoon, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. By late Tuesday, the blaze had burned 19,028 acres, Cal Fire said. It prompted mandatory evacuation orders for about 1,400 homes in the Robinson Ranch area of the city of Rancho Santa Margarita, and residents of other areas were told to be ready to evacuate, Assistant Sheriff John McCulloch said Monday night. The fire was burning near a landing strip for a remote-controlled airplanes.
The fire was moving away from Robinson Ranch and headed up the canyon on Monday night, county fire authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern said.
“We do not have any structures burned as of yet, but this fire has a long way to go before it’s out,” Cleveland National Forest district ranger Darrell Vance said at the news conference Monday night.
The fire was caused by a spark from equipment that two county public works employees were using to place barriers on a road, and investigators have classified the blaze as unintentional, McGovern said. CNN has sought comment from the public works department.
Flames from the Airport Fire on Santiago Peak licked communication towers used by local media and government agencies, video from Alert California showed. The disruption caused local television stations to temporarily lose communications with their helicopters, which use the radio and microwave towers in that location.
Two firefighters were taken to a hospital for heat-related injuries, and one other person was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, McGovern said.
Some schools in the area will be closed Tuesday because of the fire, officials said, including two elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District and three in the Corona Norco Unified School District.
• Boyles Fire southwest of Clearlake, California: At least 30 structures have burned in a fire about 100 miles west of Sacramento. As of Tuesday morning, more than 2,300 residents remain under evacuation orders. The blaze has covered 81 acres and is 50% contained, Cal Fire said.
• Davis Fire south of Reno, Nevada: A fire south of Reno has consumed nearly 5,600 acres and is 0% contained as of Tuesday, according to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The size was downgraded from an earlier 6,500 acres. At least 14 structures have been destroyed.
“Gusty winds are forecasted throughout the week,” according to the update.
About 12,000 to 14,000 people are under evacuation notice, the update said.
Actor Jeremy Renner posted photos and videos to his Instagram stories of firefighters battling the Davis Fire near his Lake Tahoe home. “Davis Fire getting close,” the “Hawkeye” actor wrote in one photo. “This is insane and incredible,” he said in another video as a firefighting aircraft flew by.
Two Nevada Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawks and a CH-47 Chinook are assisting with firefighting efforts on the blaze, the agency said on X Monday.
In-person classes at the Redfield campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, were canceled for Tuesday because of the fire, school officials said on X.
• Emergencies declared in California and Nevada: Newsom has proclaimed an emergency in San Bernardino County due to the Line Fire. He has obtained a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure the availability of vital fire resources, he said in a statement. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for the Davis Fire, he announced on X.
• High temperatures continue Monday: Temperatures in California range from 95 to 105 degrees, about 10 to 20 degrees above average. An air quality alert has also been issued “due to heat wave and elevated fine particle pollution levels due to wildfire smoke,” according to the National Weather Service.
Making matters worse, an excessive heat warning is effective until 8 p.m. PT Monday across the region, according to the National Weather Service. While cooler weather is expected in the area as the week progresses, winds may still be gusty, which can make containment more difficult.
“Hot and dry conditions mixed with thunderstorms are expected to challenge firefighters for the next few days,” according to Cal Fire officials.
Lights out for scorching schools and a Hollywood Bowl concert
Multiple agencies, including Cal Fire, San Bernardino County Fire and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, are working together to manage the fire. The American Red Cross has set up an evacuation shelter at a local church for residents seeking refuge from the fire.
The Bear Valley Unified School District announced all eight of its schools will be closed on Monday due to the impacts of the Line Fire, while other impacted districts have modified schedules and taken special precautions to deal with fires and the excessive heat warnings affecting 17 million people across southwestern California.
All but one elementary school in the San Bernardino City School District will remain open for the district’s 46,509 students, according to a statement from Superintendent Mauricio V. Arellano, who said families depend “on our schools to be safe learning environments,” and cited meals, child care and other support as factors in the decision to remain open. Bonnie Oehl Elementary will be closed as this school is within the evacuation zone, Arellano said.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in school district in the country, announced it has implemented “precautionary measures” for its 429,000 enrolled students on Monday in response to an excessive heat warning.
In southwestern Los Angeles County, the Torrance United School District announced it will also have a shortened school day, citing a lack of air conditioners, according to its website.
Downtown Los Angeles has a forecast high of 102 on Monday and could see its third triple-digit day in four days. Fortunately, the heat will wrap up for the city by midweek.
The heat wave caused thousands of customers to lose power in Los Angeles County on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
At about 4:30 p.m. a distributing station became overloaded “due to high demand impacted further by the extreme heat,” the agency said in a statement.
The Hollywood Bowl announced it was affected by the power outage and was forced to cancel a concert featuring Vance Joy, Grouplove and Tiny Habits.
“We apologize for the inconvenience. If a new date for this performance can be confirmed, details will follow and tickets for the original date will be valid for the new performance date,” the statement said.
Potatoes not the only thing baking in Idaho
The Lava Fire in Gem County, Idaho, just north of Boise, has burned 69,658 acres, according to the US Forest Service.
“Extreme fire behavior resulted in significant and rapid growth in all directions today on the Lava Fire,” the Forest Service said in an update Sunday, adding firefighters had to evacuate the area due to rapid fire spread.
“Damage of structures is being assessed by fire managers and the county sheriff’s office,” the update said.
The Gem County Sheriff’s Office ordered “Level III-Red-Go Now Evacuation Notices” for nearby residents Sunday.
According to authorities, lightening caused the fire first reported a week ago.
‘Longer and more active fire seasons’
To date in 2024, nearly seven million acres have burned across the United States in more than 36,000 wildfire incidents, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
This year marks the most acres burned by September since 2018, according to the center’s statistics.
In California, 80% of the state’s largest wildfires have occurred in the past decade, including the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.
“Research shows that changes in climate create warmer, drier conditions, leading to longer and more active fire seasons,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in July. “Increases in temperatures and the thirst of the atmosphere due to human–caused climate change have increased aridity of forest fuels during the fire season.”
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