Cooler weather helps fight major fires in California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cooler temperatures helped firefighters make progress battling three fires in Southern California on Friday, and authorities began scaling back evacuation orders that had forced thousands of people to flee.

The largest fire is the Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles, which burned 130 square kilometers, set fire to at least 33 homes and six cabins, and forced 10,000 people to evacuate. The cause of the fire is not yet known. After burning for days and firefighters unable to stop its advance, the fire was three percent contained on Friday.

“Firefighters have made great progress on the scene and have been able to aggressively attack the fire around the clock with support from aircraft,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.

Although firefighters have made significant progress, three major wildfires in the mountains east of Los Angeles that have destroyed dozens of homes, injured a dozen people and burned more than 150 square miles (400 square kilometers) still pose a significant threat to some communities.

In California, the wildfire season is at its peak. Almost three times as much land has already burned as in the entire year of 2023.

Evacuation orders have been scaled back, including in parts of Big Bear, where the Line Fire forced thousands of people to flee. Authorities say a delivery driver intentionally set the fire on Sept. 5.

The fire has charred 59 square miles in the San Bernardino Mountains, where Southern Californians ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer. As of Friday, the fire was 21 percent contained.

The Line Fire is burning through dense vegetation that grew after two consecutive wet winters, when snowstorms broke off tree limbs and left behind a lot of “dead and fallen fuel,” said Jed Gaines, chief of the Cal Fire Operations Section.

The Big Bear Zoo said it had moved all of its animals to a zoo in the city of Palm Desert to protect them from the wildfires and rising temperatures.

The fires have threatened tens of thousands of homes and other buildings across Southern California since they escalated during a heat wave with temperatures around 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooler weather that began midweek has helped firefighters slowly gain the upper hand in battling the fires. No fatalities have been reported, but at least a dozen people, mostly firefighters, were treated for injuries largely attributed to the heat, authorities said.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said Thursday that nine arson charges have been filed against Justin Wayne Halstenberg, who is accused of setting the Line Fire.

Anderson said Halstenberg, 34, attempted to start three fires in the town of Highland within an hour. Two of those were extinguished by firefighters and a good Samaritan, and the third fire became a line fire, according to authorities.

“This is particularly upsetting in a community that has unfortunately struggled with the scourge of wildfires in recent years,” he told reporters, adding that the suspect's vehicle has been linked to three areas where the fires have broken out.

Halstenberg is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office said. On Friday, it said it had no information about an attorney for him.

Halstenberg's mother, Connie Halstenberg, told the Los Angeles Times that her son “did not start that fire.”

The full extent of the damage caused by the wildfires is still unclear, but Anderson said at least one home was destroyed by the blaze.

Farther south, the Airport Fire has burned more than 37 square miles in Orange and Riverside counties. It was reportedly sparked by workers using heavy equipment, but was 8% contained as of Friday morning.

According to the Orange County Fire Department, 10 firefighters and two residents were injured in the fire. The fire was difficult to control because of the steep terrain and dry conditions – and because in some areas it had not burned for decades. At least 27 cabins in the Holy Jim Canyon area were destroyed, authorities said.

In northern Nevada, Washoe County officials confirmed Friday that a wildfire that broke out south of Reno last weekend destroyed 14 homes in the first two days, but has not destroyed a single home since as efforts to contain the fire threat continue to intensify.

Authorities have lifted all but a few evacuation orders that originally required up to 20,000 residents to evacuate. Power has been restored to all but about 140 customers, NV Energy said. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.

The Davis Fire was estimated to be 56% contained and had no expansion in the area for the third consecutive day after the fire burned nearly 9 square miles of forest and brush along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe.

The Washoe County Sheriff asked the public for tips as the investigation continues into the origin of the man-made fire that broke out Sept. 7 in a regional park about halfway between Reno and Carson City.