by Wildfires spread rapidly in California on Tuesday as firefighters battled strong winds, dry conditions and a heat wave that sent temperatures soaring above 100 degrees in the Los Angeles area. But forecast cooler weather may soon provide some relief.
Firefighters also battled a fire in dangerous, windy conditions in western Nevada, south of Reno.
The National Weather Service issued wildfire warnings for most of Nevada and parts of Southern California, indicating that large swathes of the landscape were at risk of fire. In Southern California, the Bridge Fire expanded from about 4,000 acres to more than 34,000 acres, and San Bernardino County reported homes destroyed.
The fires are an additional burden on firefighters in the western United States during an already busy season. In total, nearly 2.8 million hectares of land have already burned, more than twice as much as last year. More than 24,000 firefighters were on duty on Tuesday.
Line fire in California threatens 65,000 buildings
Containment of the Line Fire, which is raging in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest and threatening more than 65,000 homes and other structures, rose to 14 percent on Tuesday.
But its extent increased and reached about 32,905 acres as of Tuesday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).
The fire, which broke out east of Los Angeles on Thursday evening, required evacuation orders in an area of 9,200 buildings, mostly residential, said Arnold Menjivar, a fire department information officer.
Menjivar said the fire burned closest to homes in Running Spring, a community at the gateway to Big Bear Lake and Bear Mountain ski area.
“It’s very close,” Menjivar said, adding that firefighters were pursuing an aggressive attack strategy but were concerned about wind gusts in the canyons. “We have very complex terrain out here.”
The Line Fire created its own weather system Saturday, producing thunderstorm-like pyrocumulus clouds, or fire clouds, which form when fires are so intense they create their own weather patterns. The clouds were responsible for at least 280 lightning strikes underground, the National Weather Service said.
Pyrocumulus clouds were also observed around two other major fires in Southern California: the airport fire in Orange County and the bridge fire in the Angeles National Forest.
Temperatures reached triple digits during a heat wave in Southern California, and wildfire warnings were in place Tuesday in connection with the Line Fire, but cooler temperatures are expected Wednesday.
This relief could “moderate fire activity and increase fuel moisture,” CalFire said.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the Line Fire on Saturday. On Monday, fire officials said the California National Guard would deploy four Blackhawk helicopters and other aircraft to assist with modular aerial firefighting systems, as well as 80 soldiers. Nearly 2,100 firefighters were deployed.
Evacuation orders are in place for eastern parts of Highland, California, a suburb of San Bernardino, as well as several towns in the foothills along the roads to Big Bear Lake. The Bear Valley Unified and Redlands Unified school districts closed schools on Monday and Tuesday because of the fire.
More fires in Southern California
The hot, dry weather has also sparked fires in other foothill communities in Southern California and required additional evacuations.
The Airport Fire began Monday afternoon as a 7-acre brush fire in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Within hours, it had spread to an estimated 5,400 acres, the OC Fire Authority said. By Tuesday morning, it had covered 9,000 acres, the fire authority said on X.
The fire was initially reported near an airfield used by hobbyists to fly remote-controlled aircraft. On its website, a local flying club called Trabuco Flyers stated that no remote-controlled aircraft were in the air at the time the fire started.
The fire resulted in mandatory evacuations of the communities of Robinson Ranch and Trabuco Highlands, as well as evacuation warnings in other nearby communities.
Meanwhile, the Bridge Fire, which broke out on Saturday in the Angeles National Forest east of Los Angeles, has spread from just under 4,000 acres (1.6 km²) to 34,240 acres (14.8 km²) on Tuesday evening, according to official figures.
“Tragically, homes have been lost,” the San Bernardino County government said on Facebook late Tuesday.
The fire is 0% contained and its cause is under investigation.
Residents north of the San Antonio Dam to Mount Baldy Resort and other communities are under an evacuation order. Wrightwood was also under a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday evening.
“Throughout the day, there was significant spread of wildfires,” said Anthony Marrone, chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, at a press conference Tuesday evening.
The fire affected Mount Baldy and the community of Wrightwood, he said. A video shared online by the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District showed firefighters rushing to rescue people in the community of about 4,700 residents.
The three wildfires raging simultaneously in Southern California – the Line Fire, the Bridge Fire and the Airport Fire in Orange County – are severely overwhelming firefighters and asking Northern California and neighboring states for help, Marrone said.
“We urge everyone under an evacuation order to leave the country immediately,” Marrone said at the 7 p.m. PT press conference. Those under an evacuation warning should prepare to leave the country “immediately,” he said.
Dangerous conditions in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada
Gusty winds and dry weather put firefighters on high alert near Reno, Nevada, where the Davis Fire had ravaged nearly 2,200 acres and was 0% contained, according to a Tuesday update.
The fire broke out on Saturday in Davis Creek Regional Park south of Reno and burned a lot of wood and brush. At least 14 buildings were damaged, roads had to be closed and 12,000 to 14,000 people had to be evacuated.
More than 400 emergency responders are currently on the scene. The El Dorado County Fire Department has posted videos on social media of bright flames burning forested mountains and thick plumes of smoke filling the air.
Actor Jeremy Renner was one of the many locals affected by the Davis fire. On Sunday, he shared an Instagram story showing a huge plume of smoke rising from the mountains, People magazine reported. On Tuesday, he shared more photos showing firefighters at work and planes dropping pink fire retardant.
Tuesday marks the last day of high temperatures in the areas of Nevada and Southern California where the most worrying fires are raging.
On Wednesday, a cool flow of air from the Pacific Ocean is expected to lower temperatures in Southern California by 6 to 8 degrees Celsius.
A cold front is also expected to arrive in the Reno area on Wednesday, but this is not necessarily good news for the fires as it could increase winds.
According to a weather forecast from the National Weather Service, gusts on mountain peaks could reach speeds of 80 km/h in wind-prone areas.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
