California, Nevada and Oregon wildfires force thousands to evacuate and burn hundreds of thousands of acres

Chanelle Chandler
Firefighters watch as the Bridge Fire burns near homes in Wrightwood, Calif. on Sept. 10.
Firefighters watch as the Bridge Fire burns near homes in Wrightwood, Calif. on Tuesday. (Jae C. Hong/AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Rapidly moving wildfires burning in California, Nevada and Oregon have forced thousands of people to evacuate from their homes, shuttered schools and businesses and resulted in widespread power outages in parts of the West Coast.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have all declared a state of emergency in their respective states. The proclamations allow the governments to secure additional federal fire management assistance.

The wildfires have been fueled in part by a late summer heat wave with temperatures climbing into the triple digits and triggered air quality alerts for different areas in each state. Although Wednesday has brought cooler temperatures to Nevada, Oregon and Southern California, Nevada firefighters have expressed concern about Wednesday’s dry conditions and wind gusts of up to 70 mph that are expected to spur rapid fire growth.

The Line Fire, a fast-moving wildfire in San Bernardino County — which as of Wednesday was only 14% contained — has scorched more than 34,000 acres of land, injured three firefighters and forced thousands of Southern California residents to evacuate since it broke out on Sept. 5.

Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a 34-year-old Riverside County resident, is suspected of starting the fire and was arrested on Tuesday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.

The blaze threatens more than 65,000 structures, Cal Fire reported Tuesday evening, including homes and businesses in its path. Newsom also deployed the California National Guard to help contain the fire.

Residents watch as crews battle the Line Fire in Highland, Calif., on Sept. 7.
Residents watch as crews battle the Line Fire in Highland, Calif., on Sept. 7. (Eric Thayer/AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Driven by strong winds, the Bridge Fire has forced thousands of people to evacuate parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, like the popular ski resort town of Big Bear and Wrightwood, according to Cal Fire. The wildfire exploded Tuesday night, growing to 4,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday. By Wednesday, it had scorched nearly 48,000 acres. The fire is 0% contained as of Wednesday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

On Monday, the Airport Fire broke out in Orange County’s Santa Ana mountains before spreading to neighboring Riverside County. The fire has burned more than 22,000 acres, injured 10 people, including eight firefighters, and is 0% contained.

There are mandatory evacuation orders in place for both counties, according to firefighters. Schools and businesses in the area were also closed because of the smoke and ash that polluted the air.

A spark from heavy equipment used by workers in the mountains ignited the Airport fire, according to Orange County Fire Authority investigators.

Outside of Reno, about 20,000 people escaped the Davis Fire since it ignited on Saturday. The blaze has scorched nearly 5,600 acres since it started at Davis Creek Regional Park. At the peak of the outages, about 17,000 people were without power, according to Nevada officials.

NWS Reno has called the fire a “particularly dangerous situation.” The weather service also noted that this was only the sixth time that a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning has been issued, and called the fire an “exceptionally rare event.”

More than 600 firefighters, including off-duty officers, have been called in to help battle the fire. As of Wednesday, it is 31% contained.

Nearly 900 firefighters have been battling the Rail Ridge Fire in Grant County. The fire, which is believed to have started from a Sept. 2 lightning strike, has so far burned over 157,000 acres of land and is 12% contained.

Mandatory evacuations for several nearby counties have been ordered and schools in the Dayville school district closed for the week.

The fire has destroyed seven homes and has threatened about 730 homes, buildings and structures, according to the Washington State Standard.

The Shoe Fly Fire has burned close to 27,000 acres since it was ignited in central Oregon’s Wheeler County on Sept. 2 during lightning storms. Around 65 homes have been threatened by the blaze and several roads have been closed.

Firefighters have expressed optimism on their progress in recent days, however.

“We have turned the corner on the fire, we aren’t trying to chase and catch it anymore,” Incident Commander Joe Hessel told firefighters and landowners at a Tuesday morning briefing.

As of Wednesday, the fire was 41% contained.

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