Trabuco Valley: A catastrophic cloud of smoke covers the sky in some parts Southern California Firefighters on Tuesday continued to battle at least three large wildfires that have raged amid blistering heat and are threatening thousands of homes and buildings.
In Orange County, firefighters used bulldozers, helicopters and planes to control a fast-moving blaze that started Monday and grew to nearly 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) in just a few hours. Officials said the fire was started by sparks from heavy equipment used by public workers.
As of Tuesday, it had scorched more than 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) and was heading toward mountainous terrain in neighboring Riverside County, where it appeared uncontained, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said. It burned down some communications towers atop one peak, though so far officials said they had no reports of damage that disrupted police or fire communications signals in the area.
Two firefighters suffering from heat-related injuries and a resident suffering from smoke inhalation were treated at a hospital and released.
Sherri Fankhauser, her husband and their daughter sat in lawn chairs Tuesday, watching helicopters drop water cannons on the blazing hillside a few hundred yards from their Trabuco Canyon home.
They did not evacuate the house, even though a mandatory evacuation order had been in place on their street since Monday. A neighbor helped Fankhauser’s 89-year-old mother-in-law evacuate the home, Fankhauser said. The flames subsided last night but flared up again in the morning.
“You can see the flames are shooting up over the ridge now,” Fankhauser said Tuesday afternoon. “It’s getting a little scary now.”
He said he was confident firefighters would be able to control the situation and that firefighters would keep him informed.
Meanwhile, in San Bernardino National ForestsAbout 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, about 65,600 homes and buildings were at risk, including those under mandatory evacuation and those under evacuation warnings, nearly double the number from the previous day.
Residents along the south shore of Big Bear Lake were told to leave the area Tuesday night, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. It’s unclear how many people have been affected in the area, which is a popular destination for fishermen, bikers and hikers.
The fire burned about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers) of grass and brush on Tuesday and blanketed the area with a thick cloud of black smoke. The strong winds forced several districts in the area to close schools until the end of the week due to safety concerns. State fire managers said three firefighters have been injured since the fire was reported on Thursday.
The fire was 14% contained and was affecting small mountain towns, including the southern California Residents here ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer.
Other major fires were burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where a blaze outside Reno forced about 20,000 people to flee.
Firefighters are hoping to get a boost when cooler weather arrives in California at the end of the week.
The excessive heat warning issued for the Los Angeles area will expire Tuesday night.
Another fire broke out in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest, north of California City. GlendoraIn Los Angeles County, the fire spread over more than 4 square miles (12 square kilometers) and was not fully contained until Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department ordered visitors to a campground and residents of a nearby river community to evacuate. US Forest Service Said.
In Northern California, a fire of less than a square mile (2.6 square kilometers) that broke out on Sunday 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. About 4,000 people were forced to evacuate because of the so-called Boyles Fire, which was about 40% contained Monday afternoon.
Uncontested in Nevada Davis The fire, burning about 20 miles (32.2 kilometers) outside Reno, has grown to about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) after flaring up Sunday. Firefighters said the blaze started at Davis Creek Regional Park in Washoe Valley and was burning in heavy timber and brush.
An emergency declaration issued for Washoe County by Governor Joe Lombardo on Sunday said about 20,000 people had been evacuated from neighborhoods, businesses, parks and campgrounds. Evacuation notices remained in place for parts of southern Reno on Monday, and some homes, businesses and traffic signals in the area remained without power.
In Idaho, fire managers were bracing for an active day, with hot, dry and windy conditions expected to pose even more challenges on Tuesday. The Boulder and Lava fires are burning in western Idaho.
Evacuation warnings were issued for several fires in central Oregon, including a fire burning west of Mount Bachelor in the Deschutes National Forest.
In Orange County, firefighters used bulldozers, helicopters and planes to control a fast-moving blaze that started Monday and grew to nearly 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) in just a few hours. Officials said the fire was started by sparks from heavy equipment used by public workers.
As of Tuesday, it had scorched more than 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) and was heading toward mountainous terrain in neighboring Riverside County, where it appeared uncontained, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said. It burned down some communications towers atop one peak, though so far officials said they had no reports of damage that disrupted police or fire communications signals in the area.
Two firefighters suffering from heat-related injuries and a resident suffering from smoke inhalation were treated at a hospital and released.
Sherri Fankhauser, her husband and their daughter sat in lawn chairs Tuesday, watching helicopters drop water cannons on the blazing hillside a few hundred yards from their Trabuco Canyon home.
They did not evacuate the house, even though a mandatory evacuation order had been in place on their street since Monday. A neighbor helped Fankhauser’s 89-year-old mother-in-law evacuate the home, Fankhauser said. The flames subsided last night but flared up again in the morning.
“You can see the flames are shooting up over the ridge now,” Fankhauser said Tuesday afternoon. “It’s getting a little scary now.”
He said he was confident firefighters would be able to control the situation and that firefighters would keep him informed.
Meanwhile, in San Bernardino National ForestsAbout 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, about 65,600 homes and buildings were at risk, including those under mandatory evacuation and those under evacuation warnings, nearly double the number from the previous day.
Residents along the south shore of Big Bear Lake were told to leave the area Tuesday night, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. It’s unclear how many people have been affected in the area, which is a popular destination for fishermen, bikers and hikers.
The fire burned about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers) of grass and brush on Tuesday and blanketed the area with a thick cloud of black smoke. The strong winds forced several districts in the area to close schools until the end of the week due to safety concerns. State fire managers said three firefighters have been injured since the fire was reported on Thursday.
The fire was 14% contained and was affecting small mountain towns, including the southern California Residents here ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer.
Other major fires were burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where a blaze outside Reno forced about 20,000 people to flee.
Firefighters are hoping to get a boost when cooler weather arrives in California at the end of the week.
The excessive heat warning issued for the Los Angeles area will expire Tuesday night.
Another fire broke out in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest, north of California City. GlendoraIn Los Angeles County, the fire spread over more than 4 square miles (12 square kilometers) and was not fully contained until Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department ordered visitors to a campground and residents of a nearby river community to evacuate. US Forest Service Said.
In Northern California, a fire of less than a square mile (2.6 square kilometers) that broke out on Sunday 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. About 4,000 people were forced to evacuate because of the so-called Boyles Fire, which was about 40% contained Monday afternoon.
Uncontested in Nevada Davis The fire, burning about 20 miles (32.2 kilometers) outside Reno, has grown to about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) after flaring up Sunday. Firefighters said the blaze started at Davis Creek Regional Park in Washoe Valley and was burning in heavy timber and brush.
An emergency declaration issued for Washoe County by Governor Joe Lombardo on Sunday said about 20,000 people had been evacuated from neighborhoods, businesses, parks and campgrounds. Evacuation notices remained in place for parts of southern Reno on Monday, and some homes, businesses and traffic signals in the area remained without power.
In Idaho, fire managers were bracing for an active day, with hot, dry and windy conditions expected to pose even more challenges on Tuesday. The Boulder and Lava fires are burning in western Idaho.
Evacuation warnings were issued for several fires in central Oregon, including a fire burning west of Mount Bachelor in the Deschutes National Forest.
