A wildfire in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest, east of Los Angeles, threatened tens of thousands of buildings and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate amid a dayslong heat wave. The Line Fire burned about 27 square miles of grass and chaparral, creating its own weather systems of pyroculumus clouds which could result in gusty winds and lightning strikes. Steep terrain limited firefighters’ ability to control the blaze, which remained uncontained as of Sunday afternoon. Evacuation orders were issued for several areas, including Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake.
Residents like Steven Michael King and Michael Lee left their homes due to the escalating fire and triple-digit temperatures. Three firefighters were injured and over 35,000 structures were threatened. Thunderstorms expected could make firefighting more challenging. The affected area is near popular mountain towns in the national forest where residents ski and mountain bike.
Redlands Unified School District canceled classes for 20,000 students, and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County. A separate fire in Clearlake City forced roughly 4,000 people to evacuate and burned several structures.
More firefighters were expected to arrive to battle the blaze in San Bernardino County, with the cause still under investigation. The fire produced dense smoke and flames visible from hillside ridges, but no homes were damaged or destroyed. Downtown Los Angeles hit a record high of 112 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday, the third time in over a century such temperatures have been recorded.
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