Line Fire: Residents flee as wildfires spread in California and Nevada and meteorologists warn of record heat this week

CNN
—

In California and Nevada, severe wildfires have forced the evacuation of thousands of homes, while meteorologists warn of record heat in the West over the next few days. There are currently 14 active forest fires raging in California – one of them is so intense that created his own weather pattern. Here is the latest information:

• Line Fire in California is growing explosively in size: The wildfire broke out in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains on Thursday and had already ravaged 7,800 acres of land by Sunday. The fire has more than quadrupled in size since Saturday morning. Authorities urged residents in several areas to evacuate as the massive blaze shot bright red flames and thick, billowing smoke into the sky. According to Cal Fire, more than 600 firefighters are battling the wildfire, which was 0% contained by Sunday morning. Three people were injured in the fire, but authorities have not released details on the extent of injuries.

Thunderstorm winds caused the fire to “behave very erratically” and vegetation was “critically dry,” the agency said on Sunday. Smoke continued to be a problem for firefighters and residents, and thunderstorms in the afternoon could cause new fires.

“Hot and dry weather coupled with thunderstorms will pose major challenges for firefighters over the next few days,” Cal Fire said.

The fire prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue a smoke warning, and the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District subsequently recommended that residents stay in their homes if possible, keep windows and doors closed, and limit outdoor activities.

According to the National Weather Service in San Diego, a flash flood warning was in effect in Riverside and San Bernardino counties until Sunday evening.

The storms, which are producing locally heavy rainfall, are occurring near the Line Fire. The warning means flash flooding is underway or expected and could cause significant damage. Landslides are possible, especially in areas recently affected by fires.

Thunderstorms indicated by Doppler radar will cause heavy rainfall throughout the warning region with a precipitation rate of 2.5 to 5 centimeters per hour.

• Line Fire creates its own weather: As it burns through large areas of land, it creates its own weather in the form of pyrocumulus clouds. The clouds can produce erratic winds that push the fire outward, spreading it further and posing a challenge for firefighters. If it is hot enough, the clouds can produce lightning and rain, called pyrocumulonimbus clouds. They can reach heights of up to 15,000 meters and create their own thunderstorm systems.

• Thousands evacuated from California mountain communities: With the flames getting dangerously close, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has issued an evacuation order for approximately 4,800 homes in the Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake areas. Hundreds more have been evacuated in the towns of Highland, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village and Angelus Oaks. “The Line Fire is very active and spreading in receptive fuels,” Cal Fire said. “Currently, 35,405 structures are threatened, including single- and multi-family homes, commercial buildings and other smaller structures.”

Firefighters managed to protect homes from flames, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua told CNN on Sunday.

“Firefighters have been successful so far, despite the unpredictability of this fire, and we want to keep it that way. We are ready to fight,” Pascua told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield.

He added that because of the unpredictability of the fire, all areas of the fire are of concern to firefighters. “We need to make sure we have crews on all sides of the fire ready to hold their position,” Pascua said.

• Bridge fire in Angeles National Forest: In the Angeles National Forest, north of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, a fire has quickly spread to 200 hectares. Several roads in the park have been closed, forest officials said in a Facebook post.

• Boyles Fire near Clearlake, California: Near Clearlake, California, about 100 miles west of Sacramento, several buildings are on fire. At least 30 buildings have been affected and about 4,000 residents have been left homeless by the spreading 76-acre fire. According to Cal Fire, the fire is 10% contained.

• State of emergency declared in California: Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County because of the Line Fire. He has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure the availability of vital firefighting resources, he said in a statement.

• State of emergency declared in Nevada: On Sunday, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency because of the fire, as he announced on X.

• Forest fire in Nevada destroys buildings: The Davis Fire, a dangerous wind-driven blaze south of Reno, has burned about 6,500 acres, damaged or destroyed 14 structures and was still 0% contained as of Sunday evening. Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue reported “heavy aerial operations and multiple responders are working to stop this wind-driven wildfire.”

In the affected areas of Washoe County, about 14,000 people have been evacuated due to the fire and more than 6,000 residents are without power, the emergency declaration said.

“Gusty winds are forecast throughout the week,” said an update from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Customers currently without power should prepare for extended outages and those who still have power “should prepare for possible additional power outages due to the dynamic nature of the fire.”

NV Energy said it was cutting off power “to prevent further fires and protect first responders.” The company also urged anyone who still has power and is near the fire to prepare for possible outages.

“Power has been restored to 12,500 customers, but 6,300 remain without power tonight through September 9,” ​​NV Energy said in a social media statement.

• The oppressive heat will further exacerbate the misery in the region: Heat warnings and advisories are in effect for Southern California, the desert southwest and the northern Great Basin. Temperatures in Southern California will be between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius – about 10 to 20 degrees above the average for the region. According to the National Weather Service, an air quality warning has also been issued “due to the heat wave and increased particulate matter pollution from wildfire smoke.”

The size of the Line Fire has increased more than 14 times in just over 30 hours, from about 1,180 acres at 5 p.m. PT on Friday to over 17,200 acres by Saturday evening.

As the wildfire rages through the mountains of San Bernardino County, some residents are trying to prevent the flames from reaching their homes.

Brian Gano, a resident of the Highlands, told CNN affiliate KCAL News that he, his wife and son tried to put out the flames with a water hose.

“The flames were right in front of us because the wind had changed,” Gano said. “There's a high-pressure line in my backyard.”

Another resident, Diya Hirpara, said she had stockpiled food in case of an evacuation.

“It was pretty scary,” Hirpara said. “We're just sitting there waiting.”

Larissa Gonzalez said she was standing on Highway 18 in Lake Arrowhead on Saturday when she recorded a storm moving through the Line Fire. “There was a lot of thunder and lightning coming out of that flare-up; the wind picked up and drove the fire over that ridge,” Gonzalez told CNN. She watched the storm for about an hour while parked in front of Rim of the World High School to see which way it was moving and to decide if she needed to begin evacuation preparations.

Visitors to the area were also affected by smoke and flames.

Mark Weidhase told CNN on Sunday that he and his girlfriend decided to head to the mountains to escape the heat while visiting from Canada. As they left Big Bear on Saturday and drove through Running Springs, they were near the Line Fire. Weidhase said they pulled off Highway 330 to get a good look at the massive wildfire after noticing it was closed and receiving an evacuation order. “I love the mountains, but not when they're burning,” he said.

Multiple agencies, including Cal Fire, San Bernardino County Fire and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office, are working together to fight the fire. The American Red Cross has set up an evacuation shelter at a local church for residents seeking shelter from the fire.

California is currently experiencing an active fire season. According to Cal Fire, wildfires have burned over 838,000 acres across the state so far this year, up from 255,144 acres during the same period last year.

Adding to the chaos, two earthquakes struck near Ontario, California, half an hour apart on Saturday, further shaking the already devastated region.

The first earthquake had a magnitude of 3.5 at 10 a.m. local time, and the second had a magnitude of 3.9, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was felt even by residents as far away as Los Angeles.

CNN's Faith Karimi, Ashley R. Williams, Artemis Moshtaghian, Sarah Dewberry and Eric Zerkel contributed to this report.