Mountain Home Village: Extreme temperatures over the past few days have caused a forest fire. Southern California It was so hot it generated its own tornado-like weather system, but firefighters are hopeful they will make it through, as the weather is expected to cool off later Tuesday.
The Line Fire has forced at least 6,000 people to evacuate, and a blaze along the San Bernardino River threatens thousands of homes and commercial structures. National ForestsAbout 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
“We’re dealing with triple-digit temperatures and rugged slopes that haven’t had a fire in decades or in history, so there’s a significant fuel load because of the vegetation that’s been there,” Cal Fire spokesman Rick Carhart said.
These conditions have limited firefighters’ ability to control the blaze, producing clouds that can produce strong winds and lightning.
State fire managers said three firefighters were injured since the blaze was reported Thursday.
The excessive heat warning issued for the Los Angeles area will expire Tuesday night.
By Tuesday morning, the fire had charred about 41 square miles (96 square kilometers) of grass and brush, and a thick cloud of black smoke had blanketed the area. The fire was 5% contained.
The fire is one of several raging across the West, including Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people have been forced to flee a blaze outside Reno.
The Line Fire is one of California’s deadliest fires, including a blaze north of San Francisco that destroyed more than two dozen homes, and another in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles.
Stephen Richardsonwhose 1930s log cabin in the unincorporated community of Mountain Home Village is in the path of the Line Fire, said Monday that he installed more fire-retardant siding on the structure and cleared some branches away from it.
“There’s nothing I can do other than stand on the roof with my garden hose, but that’s not in the plan,” Richardson said.
South California Residents of mountain communities like Richardson are considering whether they should stay and protect their homes or move. Richardson, a math and physics instructor at Platt College, said he plans to meet with his students online before they decide whether they should leave the community where they were born and raised.
About 5,000 homes are covered under existing orders and about 17,000 more are under evacuation warnings, said Mara Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which issues evacuation orders.
Running Springs resident Steven Michael King said he had planned to stay until the fire grew Sunday morning to put out the fire and help his neighbors. He eventually left his home, fearing the smoke would make it impossible for him to get 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 on Monday to contain another fast-spreading fire near a remote-controlled airplane airport in Orange County. The fire grew to about 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) in a matter of hours and had burned more than 13 square miles (33 square kilometers) by Tuesday morning.
The fire in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest, north of the Los Angeles County city of Glendora, spread over more than 4 square miles (12 square kilometers) and was zero percent contained on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department ordered visitors at a camping site and residents of a nearby river community to leave, the U.S. Forest Service said.
In Northern California, a blaze that burned less than a square mile (2.6 square kilometers) 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 Boyles Fire, which was about 40% contained by Monday afternoon.
In Nevada, unregulated 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.
The Line Fire has forced at least 6,000 people to evacuate, and a blaze along the San Bernardino River threatens thousands of homes and commercial structures. National ForestsAbout 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
“We’re dealing with triple-digit temperatures and rugged slopes that haven’t had a fire in decades or in history, so there’s a significant fuel load because of the vegetation that’s been there,” Cal Fire spokesman Rick Carhart said.
These conditions have limited firefighters’ ability to control the blaze, producing clouds that can produce strong winds and lightning.
State fire managers said three firefighters were injured since the blaze was reported Thursday.
The excessive heat warning issued for the Los Angeles area will expire Tuesday night.
By Tuesday morning, the fire had charred about 41 square miles (96 square kilometers) of grass and brush, and a thick cloud of black smoke had blanketed the area. The fire was 5% contained.
The fire is one of several raging across the West, including Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people have been forced to flee a blaze outside Reno.
The Line Fire is one of California’s deadliest fires, including a blaze north of San Francisco that destroyed more than two dozen homes, and another in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles.
Stephen Richardsonwhose 1930s log cabin in the unincorporated community of Mountain Home Village is in the path of the Line Fire, said Monday that he installed more fire-retardant siding on the structure and cleared some branches away from it.
“There’s nothing I can do other than stand on the roof with my garden hose, but that’s not in the plan,” Richardson said.
South California Residents of mountain communities like Richardson are considering whether they should stay and protect their homes or move. Richardson, a math and physics instructor at Platt College, said he plans to meet with his students online before they decide whether they should leave the community where they were born and raised.
About 5,000 homes are covered under existing orders and about 17,000 more are under evacuation warnings, said Mara Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which issues evacuation orders.
Running Springs resident Steven Michael King said he had planned to stay until the fire grew Sunday morning to put out the fire and help his neighbors. He eventually left his home, fearing the smoke would make it impossible for him to get 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 on Monday to contain another fast-spreading fire near a remote-controlled airplane airport in Orange County. The fire grew to about 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) in a matter of hours and had burned more than 13 square miles (33 square kilometers) by Tuesday morning.
The fire in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest, north of the Los Angeles County city of Glendora, spread over more than 4 square miles (12 square kilometers) and was zero percent contained on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department ordered visitors at a camping site and residents of a nearby river community to leave, the U.S. Forest Service said.
In Northern California, a blaze that burned less than a square mile (2.6 square kilometers) 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 Boyles Fire, which was about 40% contained by Monday afternoon.
In Nevada, unregulated 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.
