Fire Burns East of Los Angeles, Outside Reno

Southern California has three major wildfires burning, endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures. The Bridge, Line, and Airport fires were fueled by a triple-digit heat wave that finally ended Wednesday.  

Already this year, California has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn as all of last year, and the state is only now entering the heart of its traditional fire season. So far this year, 6,078 wildfires have burned nearly 1 million acres and damage or destroyed 1,333 structures, according to Cal Fire.  

The Bridge Fire, which started Sunday in Angeles National Forest, had burned 47,904 acres by Wednesday, and is O% contained, Cal Fire reports. This fire has prompted evacuation orders for areas in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and is currently the third largest fire of the year. The largest fire of the year, Park Fire, has burned 429,603 acres, and is California’s fourth largest fire of all time on record.

The Line Fire, which started on Sept. 5, is burning in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest, east of Los Angeles, and on Wednesday had burned 34,659 acres with 14% containment, according to Cal Fire. Some 65,600 structures are threatened by the fire, and evacuation orders are in place for several area communities, NBC News reports.

In California’s Orange and Riverside Counties, the Airport Fire has burned 22,376 acres since it started on Monday and is 0% contained.

Because of the state’s 16 active fires, on Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom mobilized nearly 6,000 boots on the ground along with 520 fire engines, 51 helicopters, 9 fixed-wing aircraft, and 141 water tankers to aid in combating the blazes.

In neighboring Nevada, the Davis Fire, which started 20 miles south of Reno on Saturday, has burned 5,824 acres in northern Nevada and was 31% contained as of Wednesday morning. On Sunday, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency due to the Davis Fire, which had already caused the evacuation of approximately 20,000 people from residential neighborhoods and businesses. On Wednesday, new evacuation warning areas extended into parts of South Reno.