Thousands of people have been forced to flee from several wildfires burning in the West, including one that threatens about 36,000 structures outside Los Angeles and another that exploded in size in Idaho Sunday, forcing firefighters to retreat.
As the Weather Channel reports, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the Line Fire, burning east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. As of Monday morning, the fire had burned about 32 square miles of land and was just 3% contained. At least three firefighters were reported injured.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation orders for several areas, and CalFire says more than 36,000 buildings are in the fire’s potential path. Some local schools canceled classes for Monday, including the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.
Angelus Oaks resident Joseph Escobedo prepared to evacuate Sunday with his family, including three young children. “It’s kind of frightening with the possibility of losing your home and losing everything we worked really hard for,” Escobedo told The Associated Press. ”It’s hard to leave and not be sure if you’re gonna be able to come back.”
The blaze broke out last Thursday amid triple-digit heat and burned so hot that it created its own storm clouds. CalFire noted in Monday morning’s update that vegetation in the area remains “critically dry.” Evacuations are also in place for the Boone Fire in Fresno County, which has burned more than 27 square miles, and the much smaller Boyles Fire in Lake County. Both were about 30% contained as of Monday morning. About 40 homes were involved in the Boyles Fire and 40 to 50 vehicles destroyed, according to CalFire.
In all, 5,755 wildfires have burned more than 1,300 square miles in California so far this year, about equal to the 5-year average. The blazes have destroyed more than 1,100 buildings and left at least one person dead.
Nevada
Some residents returned to see scorched homes as the Davis Fire continued to spread near Reno Sunday. The blaze had burned more than 10 square miles and destroyed at least 14 structures. Evacuation orders were issued for about 13,000 residents in the area and power outages were widespread, according to an update on Sunday night. Gusty winds were expected to continue to fan the flames of the fire, which remained 0% contained.
Idaho
The National Interagency Fire Center was tracking 20 blazes in Idaho Monday. The largest was the Wapiti Fire in Boise County, which as of Monday morning had burned more than 188 square miles. Evacuations and road closures remained in place in the area, about 60 miles northeast of Boise. Hot, dry weather and winds were expected to fuel the flames Monday and Tuesday before some possible relief from rain Wednesday.
Lightning sparked the Lava Fire about 40 miles north of Boise. The blaze exploded in size Sunday to about 47 square miles of land as of Sunday night. “Extreme fire behavior resulted in significant and rapid growth in all directions,” an update from Boise National Forest said. The flames drove firefighters to back away at one point.
Later this week, temps are forecast to start a gradual decline to more normal seasonal fall weather, which may give overwhelmed fire crews and nervous residents some relief.
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