(Bloomberg) -- California fire crews are struggling to contain three separate blazes burning east of Los Angeles, threatening mountain resort towns and foothill communities.
The largest of these blazes, the Line Fire, has scorched nearly 28,000 acres on the slopes of the San Bernardino National Forest, pouring ash and smoke into densely populated neighborhoods below. Thousands of residents — and any campers left in the area — have been ordered to evacuate, while others in the popular resort community of Big Bear Lake were warned to prepare. After five days of firefighting efforts, the Line Fire is just 5% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
To the west, the Mount Baldy ski area is threatened by the Bridge Fire, which erupted Sunday in Angeles National Forest and had burned almost 4,200 acres by Tuesday afternoon. In Orange County, the Airport Fire consumed more than 9,300 acres in less than 24 hours, after a county fire official said a local public works crew accidentally sparked the blaze while moving boulders.
The National Weather Service expects fire danger in the Southwest to remain at critical levels at least through Thursday, fueled by “jet streaks” — unusually fast-moving pockets of air — in the jet stream over the Great Basin. The agency has issued red flag warnings along almost the entire length of the Nevada-California border and the Interstate 5 corridor in Los Angeles. By late this week, cooler air and calmer conditions are expected to return.
Listen on Zero: The 21st Century Will Be Shaped by Destructive ‘Fire Weather’
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
