Fires destroy vegetation in California – Bay Area Telemundo 48
The total acres burned in California this year topped one million, as high temperatures on Tuesday added to the challenges facing firefighters battling to contain a stubborn wildfire in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles that ignited at the end of the week.
Evacuation orders were extended again Monday for remote communities northeast of Los Angeles as the Line Fire, which has been burning for nearly a month, spread to nearly 68 square miles of the San Bernardino Mountains and containment was lowered from 83 percent to 76 percent.
“Dry vegetation, steep slopes and wind aligned … to create conditions for the fire to spread rapidly,” according to a statement late Monday from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
Wildfire danger has increased in California as an autumn heatwave scorched much of the state. Some inland areas could see temperatures up to 20 degrees above average for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.
In San Francisco, where residents usually don their sweaters in October, it could reach 90 degrees, while triple-digit temperatures were forecast in Sacramento. The weather service office in the state capital urged residents to stay indoors during Tuesday’s heat wave.
Hot, dry winds in the northern part of the state led Pacific Gas & Electric to preemptively cut power to small groups of customers in high-risk areas. The grid regularly cuts power to counties where weather conditions increase the likelihood of wildfires.
In Southern California, the rise of the Line Fire brought the total acres burned statewide in 2024 to 1,001,993 as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire. The milestone exceeds the total burned during the same period last year (293,362 acres), but is about on par with the five-year average for the period, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A man, 34, has pleaded not guilty to starting the fire at Line on September 5. Justin Wayne Halstenberg, of Norco, Calif., was charged with 11 arson-related offenses, according to court records.
At its peak, the fire threatened more than 65,000 homes in and around the Big Bear Lake area.