WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Three large forest fires in Southern California expanded dramatically – houses, cars and horse stables burned in the mountain communities, at least a dozen people were injured, officials said on Wednesday.
In the close-knit community of Wrightwood, trees burned behind homes as authorities pleaded with residents to evacuate the surging Bridge Fire. Erin Arias, a teacher, said she was running up the hill when she got the sudden order to leave and did so. She grabbed her passport and her dog as the fire raged. On Wednesday, she and her husband doused the roof of their still-standing home with water. Her cat was missing, she said.
“It’s absolutely terrifying,” Arias said, looking at the embers of her neighbor’s house. “We were really lucky.”
The wildfires are endangering tens of thousands of homes and other buildings across the region after comes to life during a triple-digit heat wave that finally ended Wednesday. Other large fires raged in the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people had to flee a fire outside Reno.
California is just beginning its wildfire season, but it has already burned nearly three times as much land as it did in all of 2023. The White House said President Joe Biden is monitoring wildfires in the West and urged residents to follow state and local evacuation orders.
The extent of the damage was not immediately known as firefighters were battling several fires at the same time. The three fires include:
— The Orange County Airport Fire, which burned nearly 36 square miles, left charred cars and debris and spread into neighboring Riverside County. The fire was 0% contained as of Wednesday and was reportedly sparked by heavy equipment in the area. Orange County Fire Chief Steve Concialdi said eight firefighters were injured, most from heat exposure. One resident suffered smoke inhalation and another suffered burns, he said.
— The Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest charred 55 square miles and injured three firefighters. Authorities said it was started by arson. A suspect was arrested Tuesday.
— The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles grew tenfold in one day, burning 194 square kilometers and setting fire to homes in the community of Wrightwood. The cause of the fire was initially unclear. By Wednesday morning, the fire was 0% contained.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at least 33 homes and six cabins have been destroyed by the Bridge Fire. The blaze currently threatens 2,500 structures in a region short on personnel because of the many fires raging simultaneously, he said.
“Our region is currently in the process of reducing the number of our firefighters and resources,” he said, adding that authorities have asked Northern California and surrounding states for assistance.
In Wrightwood, flames raged through a popular ski area, but the resort’s buildings appeared to be unscathed, said Janice Quick, president of the community’s chamber of commerce. The fire is still burning, she said, warning: “The winds have picked up a little and things can change in a heartbeat.”
Ski areas were also affected, but it was too early to assess the damage, the US Forest Service said in a statement.
Evacuation orders were expanded in Southern California as wildfires grew late Tuesday, with temperatures expected to drop later this week, potentially curbing fire activity.
In Riverside County, the Airport Fire reached El Cariso Village, a community of 250 people on Highway 74, late Tuesday, as some residents rushed to leave the road clogged with fire trucks and firefighters as the sky darkened and ash began to rain down. An Associated Press photographer saw at least 10 homes and several cars engulfed in flames.
In San Bernardino County, evacuation orders also included parts of the popular ski resort town of Big Bear. About 65,600 homes and buildings were threatened by the Line Fire, nearly double the number early Tuesday, and residents along the southern shore of Big Bear Lake, a popular destination for anglers, mountain bikers and hikers, were told to leave.
The blaze enveloped the area in a thick, dark cloud of smoke that provided shade for firefighters trying to escape winds expected Wednesday, said Fabian Herrera, a spokesman for the Line Fire, which was 14 percent contained.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday the arrest of a Norco man suspected of setting the Line Fire in Highland on Sept. 5. He was charged with arson and held on $80,000 bail. Officials did not provide any information on what was used to set the fire.
On the Nevada-California border near Reno, the Davis Fire destroyed a home and a dozen buildings and charred more than 8 square miles of forest and brush along the eastern front of the Sierra Nevada. Charles Moore, chief of the Truckee Meadows Fire District, said he ordered off-duty firefighters back to work Wednesday as the National Weather Service predicted wind gusts of up to 40 mph, creating “a particularly dangerous situation.”
Jeremy Human, U.S. Forest Service operations manager, said firefighting planes were trying to drop some firefighting agents before gusty winds likely grounded the planes. In Washoe County, schools were closed and an evacuation center was moved farther from the flames.
“We are doing our best to be prepared for the expected winds, the very dramatic weather day … and the possibility of new starts or rapid spread should something escape the containment lines,” Human said.
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Thayer reported from El Cariso Village, Taxin from Santa Ana, Calif., and Rodriguez from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed.
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In this story, the name of the town on Highway 74 is corrected; it is El Cariso Village, not El Cariso.
