As least 13 people have been injured in three major southern California wildfires that broke out this week during a scorching heatwave. Firefighters battling the blazes, already stretched to the limits by a challenging summer, were among the injured.
The Bridge fire in the Angeles national forest, located north of Glendora, exploded from about 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) on Tuesday to 34,000 acres that evening, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At least 33 homes and six cabins have been destroyed by the Bridge fire, authorities said, adding that the fire is currently threatening 2,500 buildings in an area strapped for personnel with so many fires raging at once.
“As a region, we’re currently at drawdown for fire personnel and resources,” said Anthony Marrone, the Los Angeles county fire chief, adding that authorities have requested assistance from northern California and nearby states.
In Orange county, firefighters did battle with a fast-spreading fire that ignited on Monday and has since sprawled to more than 19,000 acres. This blaze, called the Airport fire, was caused by a spark from heavy equipment that was used by public workers, according to officials.
The fire had spread into the mountainous region of adjacent Riverside county with no containment. Two firefighters endured heat-related injuries and a resident suffered from smoke inhalation.
Nearby, approximately 65,000 homes and buildings were threatened by a wildfire raging in the San Bernardino national forest. The Line fire charred more than 27,000 acres by Tuesday evening, consuming expanses of brush and remained a mere 14% contained on Tuesday night, according to reports.
Authorities arrested and charged a 34-year-old man with arson for allegedly starting the fire, according to the San Bernardino county sheriff’s department. Officials did not specify what was used to start the blaze.
The three sprawling fires, which spurred doomsday-like smoke plumes around the greater Los Angeles area, came as other areas of the US west battled powerful infernos, such as near Reno, Nevada, which prompted about 20,000 people to evacuate.
So far this year, California has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023.
Flames from three wildfires have blackened once-green landscapes, leaving barren, leafless trees in their wake.
Alex Luna, a 20-year-old missionary, saw the sky turn from a cherry red to black in about 90 minutes as flames raced toward his mountain community of Wrightwood, and authorities implored residents to leave their belongings behind and get out of town.
“It was very, I would say, hellish-like,” Luna said on Tuesday night. “It was very just dark. Not a good place to be at that moment … Ash was falling from the sky like if it was snowing.”
Luna was among those who heeded the evacuation order that was issued for the community of about 4,500 in the San Gabriel mountains east of Los Angeles. The Bridge fire, which grew tenfold in a day, is now the largest of three major wildfires burning in southern California and endangering tens of thousands of homes.
The fires are burning near mountain towns and lakes that are popular for winter sports and summer recreation. Evacuation orders were expanded on Tuesday night as the fires grew and included parts of the popular ski town Big Bear.
For Wrightwood, a picturesque town located some 60 miles (97km) east of Los Angeles, threatening wildfires have become a regular part of life. But for Janice Quick, the president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce, something felt different this time.
She told the Associated Press she had been texting with friends, one of whom said a friend’s home had been consumed by fire, while another friend watched through her ring camera as embers rained down on her home.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve been through fires before,” said Quick, a 45-year resident of Wrightwood.
Southern California has reeled from a record-breaking heatwave since late last week, with temperatures soaring well above 100F (38C) and creating conditions for unchecked wildfires. An excessive heat warning for the Los Angeles area ended on Tuesday night, and firefighters hoped to win an advantage as cooler weather reaches the state later this week.
Across the west, authorities in states battling wildfires took steps to protect residents. The Nevada governor issued an emergency declaration while fire managers in Idaho braced for warm, dry and windy conditions as the Boulder and the Lava fires burned in western Idaho. Several fires spurred evacuation warnings in central Oregon.