Wildfires in Southern California have burned mountain homes, razed a ski resort and forced thousands of people to evacuate from their homes in the suburbs east of Los Angeles.
Homes were destroyed in the town of Wrightwood and flames tore through the nearby Mountain High ski resort, while the Bridge Fire in San Bernardino County burned across more than 47,000 acres, becoming the largest of four blazes in the area.
The airport fire in Orange and Riverside counties has grown to 22,000 acres (8,900 hectares), burning homes in El Cariso Village, according to authorities and local news reports.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and said he had secured federal funding to fight the airport fire.
Dry brush and strong winds are fuelling the fires during a severe heatwave that climate scientists blame on global warming. More than a dozen people have been reported injured.
People taped off doors and closed schools in at least 10 districts because of smoke-filled air from another fire in San Bernardino County, the Line Fire.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly starting the Line Fire on Sept. 5.
Wildfires are a natural occurrence in the mountains east of Los Angeles, but firefighters’ ability to let them burn has been hampered by people moving out who can’t afford city prices. Many new homeowners have difficulty obtaining fire insurance.
The amount of land burned in California this year is already double that of 2023, when the state enjoyed more moisture, according to data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CAL FIRE.
The United States is experiencing a strong wildfire year, with 7.1 million acres (2.8 million hectares) burned so far, compared with an annual average of about 7.1 million acres (2.7 million hectares) over the past decade, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.
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