Associated Press

Wildfires in Southern California torch dozens of homes and force thousands to evacuate

Members of Riverside County Cal Fire monitor for hot spots while battling the Airport Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Three major wildfires in Southern California's mountains east of Los Angeles torched dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

At least a dozen people, mainly firefighters, were treated for injuries that were mostly heat-related, authorities said. One person from Orange County was burned. No deaths have been reported.

The wildfires have been endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures across the region after they sprung to life during a triple-digit heat wave over the weekend. Other major fires were burning in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people had to flee a blaze outside Reno.

In the tight-knit community of Wrightwood that sits on the Pacific Crest Trail, authorities implored residents to evacuate the exploding Bridge Fire, which burned more than a dozen homes in the area.

Resident Erin Arias said she was racing up the mountain when she got the sudden order to leave and did, grabbing her passport and dog. On Wednesday, she and her husband doused water on the roof of their still-standing home. Their cat was missing, she said.

“It’s absolutely scary,” Arias said, looking at the burned embers of her neighbor’s home. “We’re really lucky.”

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said the fire moved extraordinarily fast across complex terrain, likely giving Wrightwood residents less time to evacuate than usual and surprising even seasoned fire officials.

The Bridge Fire “had to go up mountain sides, burn down slope, jump across valleys, burn across new ridges, and then make it down slope again at least two other times in effectively one burning period,” he said.

California is only now heading into the teeth of the wildfire season but already has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023. The White House said President Joe Biden was monitoring the wildfires in the West and urged residents to heed state and local evacuation orders.

Cooler temperatures were expected to potentially start tempering fire activity as the week progresses.

The full extent of the damage was not immediately known as firefighters battled multiple fires simultaneously. The three blazes include:

— The Airport Fire in Orange County that burned over 35 square miles (91 square kilometers). The fire was 5% contained Wednesday night and was reportedly sparked by heavy equipment operating in the area. Orange County Fire Capt. Steve Concialdi said eight firefighters were injured, mostly heat-related. One resident suffered smoke inhalation and another burns, he said. Several homes burned in El Cariso Village.

— The Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest that was 18% contained Wednesday and charred 57 square miles (148 square kilometers). The blaze injured three firefighters. Authorities said it was caused by arson in Highland. A suspect was arrested Tuesday.

— The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles that grew tenfold in a day, burning 78 square miles (202 square kilometers) and torching at least 33 homes and six cabins and forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. It was zero percent contained Wednesday night.

With so many fires raging at once, crews were at their limits, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

“As a region, we’re currently at drawdown for fire personnel and resources,” he said, adding that authorities have requested assistance from Northern California and nearby states.

Gov. Gavin Newsom sent National Guard troops in to help with evacuations.

In El Cariso Village, a community of 250 along Highway 74 in Riverside County, an Associated Press photographer saw at least 10 homes and several cars engulfed in flames.

Kevin Fetterman, Orange County Fire Authority Incident Commander, said the blaze has been difficult to tame because of the terrain and dry conditions and because some areas hadn't burned in decades.

More than 5,500 homes in Riverside County were under evacuation orders, affecting more than 19,000 residents. Several recreational cabins and structures in the Cleveland National Forest were damaged.

In San Bernardino County, some 65,600 homes and buildings were under threat by the Line Fire, and residents along the southern edge of Big Bear Lake were told to leave Tuesday.

The Line Fire blanketed the area with a thick cloud of dark smoke, which provided shade for firefighters trying to get ahead of winds expected later Wednesday, said Fabian Herrera, a spokesperson for the Line Fire.

A man from the town of Norco suspected of starting the Line Fire on Sept. 5 was arrested and charged with arson, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said. Officials did not specify what was used to start the fire.

Investigators collected evidence from the delivery driver’s vehicle and home that suggests he could have been involved in starting other fires, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Wednesday.

On the Nevada border with California near Reno, the Davis Fire forced thousands of people to evacuate over the weekend, destroyed one home and a dozen structures and charred nearly 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of timber and brush along the Sierra Nevada’s eastern front.

Rich Meyr and Evelyn Kelley were the first arrivals at an evacuation center set up Wednesday at a recreation center in south Reno. Both said they refused to evacuate previous fires but decided to play it safe this time.

“My son’s wedding is Saturday. I threw all the flowers and gowns in the RV and we left. It looks like a garden shop inside that RV,” Kelley said. “But who wants to burn alive?”

More than 600 firefighters kept the blaze from growing Wednesday despite high winds that grounded all aircraft that had dropped retardant on the flames over the past two days. The fire was about 30% contained Wednesday night.

Elsewhere, a Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage near Loveland, Colorado.

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Thayer reported from El Cariso Village, Taxin from Santa Ana, California, and Rodriguez from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed.

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This story corrects the name of the town along Highway 74; it is El Cariso Village, not El Cariso.

A firefighter hoses down hot spots on a fire-ravaged property while battling the Bridge Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A vehicle and surrounding forest are burned after the Bridge Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Horses stand near stables consumed by the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A fire-ravaged property is seen after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A reporter takes cell phone images of the devastation left behind by the Airport Fire, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A fire-ravaged landscape surrounds a property after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Firefighters hose down hot spots on a fire-ravaged property while battling the Bridge Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Firefighters hose down hot spots on a fire-ravaged property while battling the Bridge Fire, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Firefighters watch as the Bridge Fire burns near homes in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Firefighters establish a defense perimeter around a house threatened by the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Firefighters are illuminated by the glow of the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Smoke from California wildfires obscures the view of casinos northbound on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nev., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
A fire-ravaged property is seen after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Members of Riverside County Cal Fire walk up a hillside while battling the Airport Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A Riverside County Fire Dept. firefighter monitors for hot spots overlooking Lake Elsinore after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Firetrucks are seen around a building as scorched trees smolder during the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Vehicles burn as the Airport Fire sweeps through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
A vehicle burns from the Airport Fire Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Firefighters battle the Airport Fire, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Rich Meyr, 82, left, and Evelyn Kelley, 77, sit at an evacuation center for those in the path of regional wildfires, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Reno, Nevada. The two were the first — and so far only - arrivals at a new evacuation center set up Wednesday at a recreation center in south Reno where the Red Cross was prepared to handle 100 or more people if necessary. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)