Cooler weather in Southern California helps in wildfire battle
LOS ANGELES — Thousands of firefighters, aided by cooler weather, made progress Saturday battling three wildfires in Southern California. Officials in Northern Nevada hoped nearly all evacuees from a fire there would soon be home.
Authorities have begun scaling back evacuations from the biggest fire. The fire on the bridge east of Los Angeles has caused 80 square miles (210 square kilometers) of damage, burned at least 33 homes and six shacks and forced 10,000 people to evacuate.
Operations Section Chief Don Freguila said Saturday that containment was estimated at 3% and was improving, with nearly 2,500 firefighters working the lines. He said Saturday’s focus would be on the fire’s western flank and its northern edge near Wrightwood, where firefighting aircraft were dropping retardant on flames in steep, rugged terrain inaccessible to ground crews.
“Very good work. We’re really on it and starting to make good progress,” Freguila said. He said another fire broke out Friday night near the Mount Baldy ski area along the southern edge of the fire, burning only about an acre before crews “got it out.”
The state of Southern California has seen tens of thousands of homes and other buildings threatened since they escalated during a heat wave with temperatures above 30 degrees.
The Nevada fire near Lake Tahoe broke out over the weekend, destroying 14 homes and burning nearly 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of timber and brush along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. About 20,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes early this week.
Firefighters said there was a 90% chance the last evacuees would be able to return home by late Saturday.
The fire was estimated to be 76% contained on Saturday, spokeswoman Celeste Prescott said. Some of the 700 crews could be sent to other fires soon, she added.
Firefighters were primarily focused on clearing the flames, but expected winds to pick up in the afternoon, so they were ready to tackle areas where flames were emerging.
“We are on the cusp of great success,” said Truckee Meadows Fire Chief Charles Moore.
Authorities say a delivery person started on purpose the Line Fire in Southern California on September 5. The fire has burned 60 square miles (153 square kilometers) in the San Bernardino Mountains, where people ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer.
By Saturday, it was 25% contained. Cool weather over the next few days should help, firefighters said.
The fire is burning through dense vegetation that grew after two consecutive wet winters when snowstorms snapped branches from trees and left behind lots of “dead and deposited fuel,” said Cal Fire Chief Jed Gaines.
The Big Bear Zoo said all of the animals have been moved to a zoo in the city of Palm Desert to protect them from the wildfires and rising temperatures.
No deaths have been reported, but at least a dozen people, mostly firefighters, have been treated for injuries, mostly caused by the heat, authorities said.
Charges of arson have been filed against Justin Wayne Halstenberg, who is accused of starting the Line Fire. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. Halstenberg’s mother, Connie Halstenberg, told the Los Angeles Times that her son ‘didn’t start that fire’.
The extent of the damage caused by the fire is still unclear, but San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said at least one home was destroyed.
The Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside County has been tough to contain because of the steep terrain and dry conditions — and because some areas hadn’t burned in decades. The blaze, reportedly fanned by workers using heavy equipment, has burned more than 37 square miles (96 square kilometers). It was 9% contained as of Saturday.
“While it was difficult to build direct lines due to the rugged terrain, favorable weather conditions supported their efforts,” according to Saturday’s situation report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Ten firefighters and two residents were injured in the blaze, the Orange County Fire Authority said. The fire destroyed at least 27 cabins in the Holy Jim Canyon area, authorities said.
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Sonner reported from Reno, Nevada. Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California, contributed.