Wildfires raged through parts of Southern California this week, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, damaging homes and leaving firefighters battling flames in multiple locations.
In Wrightwood, a small mountain community in San Bernardino County, firefighters responded to homes burning, engulfing the landscape in flames. Known as the Bridge Fire, the one of the three major forest fires is currently burning in Southern California.
Another fire in Orange County, the Airport Fire, also spread quickly. Firefighters battled the flames on the ground and by helicopter, pouring water on the blaze. Elsewhere, a car was enveloped in glowing embers, while others were left abandoned and destroyed. And what was left of a charred three-wheeler sank into ashy ground.
Once green landscapes have turned gray: The Line Fire, also in San Bernardino County, scorched the ground, leaving behind bare black forests where only leafless, burned trees remained. Behind them, an orange glow indicated that the fire still sang the nearby earth.
In the mountain community of Running Springs, horses huddled in a pen as fire and smoke filled the air around them. About 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the south, in Mentone, people watched as the fire approached their homes.
This year, California has already burned nearly three times as much farmland as it did in all of 2023.
__
Associated Press’s climate and environmental reporting receives funding from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for partnering with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas on AP.org.