UNITED STATES NEWS

Cool weather forecast offers hope in battling intense Southern California blaze

Sep 9, 2024, 9:42 PM | Updated: Sep 10, 2024, 10:04 pm

MOUNTAIN HOME VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) — Several days of triple-digit temperatures have stoked a wildfire in Southern California that burned so hot it created its own thunderstorm-like weather systems, but firefighters are hoping to gain the upper hand as cooler weather is expected to move into the area after Tuesday.

The Line Fire has forced at least 6,000 people to evacuate and threatened thousands of home and commercial structures as it burns along the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

Firefighters have been working in steep terrain and challenging conditions in temperatures above 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius), limiting their ability to control the blaze, which has created the type of clouds that can spawn gusty winds and lightning strikes.

“We’re dealing with triple-digit temperatures and hard-to-reach steep areas where there has not been fire in decades, or in recorded history, so all that vegetation has led to significant fuel loads,” Cal Fire spokesperson Rick Carhart said.

State fire managers said three firefighters have been injured since the blaze was reported Thursday.

An excessive heat warning issued for the Los Angeles area will expire Tuesday night before giving way to cooler high temperatures.

As of Monday evening, the blaze had charred about 37 square miles (96 square kilometers) of grass and brush and blanketed the area with a thick cloud of dark smoke. It was 5% contained.

The blaze in one of many wildfires burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people have had to flee a fire outside Reno.

The Line Fire is one of the most dangerous of many in California, including one north of San Francisco that destroyed more than two dozen homes and another that broke out in Orange County southeast of Los Angeles.

Stephen Richardson, whose 1930s wooden cabin in the unincorporated community of Mountain Home Village is in the path of the Line Fire, said Monday that he installed more fire-resistant siding to the structure and trimmed some branches away from it.

“That’s about all I can do, aside from standing on the top of the roof with my garden hose, but that’s not in the plans,” Richardson said.

Southern California mountain community residents like Richardson are mulling whether to stay and protect their homes or leave. Richardson, a math and physics instructor at Platt College, said he planned to meet with his students online before deciding whether to leave the community where he was born and raised.

“If we’re seeing flames and the air gets bad, we’re probably going to head down,” he said.

Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which issues evacuation orders, said nearly 5,000 homes fell under the existing orders and nearly 17,000 more were under evacuation warnings.

Evacuations were ordered Saturday evening for Running Springs, Arrowbear Lake, areas east of Highway 330 and other regions.

Running Springs resident Steven Michael King said he had planned to stay to fight the fire and help his neighbors until Sunday morning, when the fire escalated. He had prepped his house to prevent fire damage but decided to leave out of fear smoke could keep him from finding a way out later.

The affected area is near small mountain towns in the San Bernardino National Forest where Southern California residents ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer. Running Springs is on the route to the popular ski resort town of Big Bear.

Meanwhile, firefighters used bulldozers, helicopters and airplanes Monday to control another rapidly spreading blaze that broke out near a remote-controlled airplane airport in Orange County. The fire spread to about 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) in only a few hours.

Another blaze sparked in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest, north of the city of Glendora, in Los Angeles County, was about 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) and zero percent contained Monday evening.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department ordered visitors at a campground and residents of an adjacent river community to evacuate, the U.S. Forest Service said.

And in Northern California, a fire measuring less than a square mile (2.6 square kilometers) started Sunday and burned at least 30 homes and commercial buildings and destroyed 40 to 50 vehicles in Clearlake City, 110 miles (117 kilometers) north of San Francisco, officials said. Roughly 4,000 people were forced to evacuate by the Boyles Fire, which was about 40% contained Monday afternoon.

In Nevada, the uncontained Davis Fire burning about 20 miles (32.2 kilometers) outside Reno grew to about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) after igniting Sunday afternoon. It originated in the Davis Creek Regional Park in the Washoe Valley and was burning in heavy timber and brush, firefighters said.

An emergency declaration issued for Washoe County by Gov. Joe Lombardo on Sunday noted that about 20,000 people were evacuated from neighborhoods, businesses, parks and campgrounds. Parts of south Reno remained under the evacuation notice on Monday and some homes, businesses and traffic signals in the area were without power.

In Idaho, fire managers were prepared for an active day, with warm, dry and windy conditions and even more challenging conditions Tuesday. The Boulder and the Lava Fires are burning in western Idaho.

In central Oregon, firefighters were dealing with a number of blazes that prompted evacuation warnings, including one west of Mount Bachelor on the Deschutes National Forest.

United States News

FILE - In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, flags fly at half-staff at Camp Justice, ...

Associated Press

Newly unsealed documents reveal more details of prosecutors’ evidence in 9/11 attacks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly unsealed documents give one of the most detailed views yet of the evidence gathered on the accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, including how prosecutors allege he and others interacted with the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The summaries of evidence released Thursday include Mohammed’s own statements […]

15 minutes ago

Associated Press

Monkey, see: A baby silvered langur goes on view at the Bronx Zoo

NEW YORK (AP) — A new resident is monkeying around at New York’s Bronx Zoo. The zoo announced Thursday that a male baby silvered langur is now on exhibit. He joined a group of adults of the same species — and brought a splash of bright orange to the depths of winter. Silvered langurs are […]

35 minutes ago

Associated Press

22 states sue New York state, alleging environmental fund is unconstitutional

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Twenty-two states sued New York state on Thursday, contending that a new law forcing a small group of major energy producers to pay $75 billion into a fund to cover climate change damage is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, filed in Albany, New York, lists Attorney General Letitia James and other state officials […]

36 minutes ago

FILE - Chairman of the Virginia State Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, ap...

Associated Press

Virginia’s Democratic-led House and Senate pass separate proposals for amending the state budget

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s Democratic-led Senate and House of Delegates debated tax relief and economic stability Thursday before passing separate plans for amending the two-year state budget, laying the groundwork for negotiations by lawmakers on an eventual spending plan to send to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Both chambers signed off on amendments that would […]

47 minutes ago

Associated Press

Trump delievered on his promise to order a ban on transgender female athletes. What’s next?

Donald Trump, the candidate, pledged to get “transgender insanity the hell out of our schools” and “keep men out of women’s sports.” Donald Trump, the president, wasted little time delivering on his promise to address a topic that seemed to resonate across party lines. Trump issued an executive order signed another on Wednesday titled “ […]

53 minutes ago

FILE - Elon Musk listens as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at...

Associated Press

DOGE was tasked with stopping Treasury payments to USAID, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials working with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency sought access to the U.S. Department of Treasury payment system to stop money from flowing to the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to two people familiar with the matter. DOGE’s efforts to stop USAID payments undermine assurances that the department gave to […]

1 hour ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to start your retirement planning early and avoid costly mistakes

Retirement planning can feel overwhelming, but with the right guidance, you can avoid costly pitfalls.

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to save money on retirement planning following 2024 election

PHOENIX -- With the 2024 election over, economic changes could impact how people plan for retirement as 2025 is on the horizon.

...

Schwartz Laser Eye Center

Don’t miss the action with this game-changing procedure

PHOENIX -- The clear lens exchange procedure has emerged as a popular alternative to LASIK eye surgery.

Cool weather forecast offers hope in battling intense Southern California blaze