Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as California cities burn under out-of-control wildfires amid a days-long heatwave with triple-digit temperatures.
Video footage has captured this weekend’s out-of-control wildfires with flames ravaging thousands of acres in California, Oregon and Nevada.
The Line Fire was burning out of control along the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
The fire in Southern California has spread to more than 20,500 acres.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, said the fire has “room to grow now essentially in three directions and there are population centers and fairly dense, dry vegetation between those population centers.”
An aerial view of a mix of rain and smoke from the nearby Line Fire creating a dense mix of air pollution on September 8, 2024 over San Bernardino, California.
Firefighters work to extinguish numerous fire-ravaged homes as the Boyles Fire burns in Clearlake, California
The fire started Thursday night and the cause is under investigation.
The fire remained out of control Sunday afternoon. By Sunday morning, the blaze had charred about 70 square miles of grass and chaparral, leaving a thick, dark cloud of smoke hanging over the area.
The fire burned so intensely Saturday that it created its own weather systems of thunderstorm-like pyrocumulus clouds.
That could bring more challenging conditions, such as gusty winds and lightning, according to the National Weather Service.
Firefighter Gus Laws extinguishes flames at a home as the Boyles Fire burns in Clearlake, California, Sunday, Sept. 8.
Firefighters work to combat the advancing Line Fire in Mentone, California
The Line Fire in San Bernardino County is still at 0 containment
Hundreds of firefighters are battling a fast-spreading wildfire amid high temperatures in San Bernardino County that grew to 1,180 acres (about 4.8 square kilometers) in 24 hours.
Firefighters also faced steep terrain, which limited their ability to control the blaze, officials said.
Some 500 firefighters were battling the blaze, supported by helicopters that dropped water and flew over houses and hillsides, along with planes.
Now, an out-of-control wildfire in the foothills of a national forest east of Los Angeles is threatening tens of thousands of buildings.
Running Springs resident Steven Michael King told the Associated Press he had planned to stay to fight the fire and help his neighbors until Sunday morning, when the blaze intensified.
Firefighter Nolan Graham sprays water around a burned garage as the Boyles Fire burns in Clearlake, California, Sunday, Sept. 8.
Thousands ordered to evacuate California cities as wildfires rage
He had prepared his home to prevent fire damage, but decided to leave for fear that the smoke might prevent him from finding a way out later.
“It came down to this: What’s worse, being trapped or being in a shelter?” she said outside an evacuation center Sunday. “When conditions changed, I had to make a quick decision: just a couple of packages and everything fits in a shopping cart.”
Joseph Escobedo said his family has lived in Angelus Oaks for about three years and has never had to evacuate due to a wildfire. His family, with three young children, was among the few who had not yet left the area as of Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a little scary to think about the possibility of losing your home and losing everything that we worked so hard for,” Escobedo said as her family packed essentials to leave. “It’s hard to leave and not be sure you’ll be able to come back.”
The Line Fire skips Highway 330 as an emergency vehicle passes by on Saturday, September 7.
Horses huddle in a corral as smoke from the Line Fire fills the air
Fire crews monitor the Line Fire, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Running Springs
A member of a fire brigade team with an excavator watches the progress of the Line fire in Mentone
Smoke and flames from the advancing Line Fire rise above a ridge.
Law enforcement officers hold a conversation as the Boyles Fire burns in Clearlake, California
Arrowbear Lake resident Michael Lee said he left his home with his dog Saturday afternoon. Lee, a photographer, had returned to retrieve a camera and did not arrive at the evacuation center in Highland until nearly seven hours later.
“I want to go home,” Lee said as he sat in his car outside the evacuation center. “The weather down here is horrible, with temperatures in the triple digits.”
State fire officials said three firefighters were injured and more than 35,000 structures were threatened, including single-family and multi-family homes and commercial buildings.
Thunderstorms are expected later in the day and could make controlling the fire even more difficult.
“Afternoon thunderstorms could spark additional fires and possibly impact activity around the fire perimeter,” state fire officials said in a Sunday morning update. “Warm, dry conditions combined with thunderstorms are expected to challenge firefighters over the next several days.”
Smoke was already billowing into downtown San Bernardino, where Joe Franco, a worker at Noah’s restaurant, said his friends in surrounding evacuation zones were preparing to leave at any moment.
“They’re waiting hard and getting their stuff ready for the move,” Franco said. “Normally they’re here, but a lot of people aren’t coming today.”
Smoke from the advancing Fire Line fills the air.
Flames from the Line Fire ignite over a residence on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Highland, Calif.
The Line Fire continues to burn in the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest above Highland, California
A truck burns in front of a residence as the Boyles Fire burns in Clearlake, California
The Redlands Unified School District canceled classes for about 20,000 students on Monday, and Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County.
Meanwhile, a small brush fire, less than a square mile (2.6 square kilometers), burned at least 30 homes and commercial buildings and destroyed 40 to 50 vehicles Sunday afternoon in Clearlake City, 110 miles (117 kilometers) north of San Francisco, authorities said.
About 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to the Boyles fire, which was 10 percent contained as of Monday morning.