CA Wildfires: 1M Acres Burned In 2024; Heat To Elevate Danger

CALIFORNIA — Due to a flare-up of a major fire burning in Southern California this week, the Golden State reached a bleak marker — 1 million acres burned in 2024.

Five major wildfires — the Bridge, Line, Airport, Coffee and Ridge fires — are burning across the state and have collectively burned 136,569 acres. Though several were close to containment, rising temperatures and dry conditions have reversed some fire line progress this week, especially in San Bernardino County, where the Line fire began spreading rapidly again over the weekend.

"Firefighters had expected some movement along the open line in this area however, fire behavior exceeded expectations," CalFire said Monday. "The dry vegetation, steep slopes and wind aligned yesterday to create conditions for the rapid fire spread yesterday."

And yet another heatwave expected to bake California this week could make things worse for firefighters working to contain these major blazes. The new heat dome also presents an opportunity for new wildfires to spark.

Wildfires Burning Today

The flare-up in the Line fire on Monday prompted the Red Cross to open a new evacuation shelter at the Apple Valley Conference Center. The fire was 76% contained and had burned 43,492 acres as of Tuesday, CalFire reported.

#LineFire Morning Quick Facts: September 30, 2024
43, 251 acres with 80% contained and 1,176 personnel assigned to the fire.

For more information visit: https://t.co/uKSzQSfSz7
Public Info. Line: 909-220-4292 open 8:00am - 8:00pm@CALFIREBDU @SBCOUNTYFIRE @sbcountysheriff pic.twitter.com/6q4G6WpOjM
— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) September 30, 2024

The Line fire also prompted the temporary closure of the post office in Angelus Oaks on Monday, where evacuation orders were issued, according to USPS. Such orders were also in place for Seven Oaks. Residents served by the Angelus Oaks Post Office were instructed to pick up their mail at the Mentone Post Office at 1842 Mentone Blvd, Mentone.

Meanwhile, the Airport and Bridge fires also contributed to the state's milestone throughout the summer, burning a collective 78,402 acres.

The Airport fire, which tore through 23,526 acres of Orange and Riverside counties, was 95% contained as of Monday. The Bridge fire burned 54,876 acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and was 98% contained as of Monday.

The state's newest wildfire, the Ridge, sparked in Santa Barbara County on Sunday and has burned nearly 17,000 acres since. The Coffee Pot fire, which ignited a few weeks before the Ridge fire in Tulare County, has scorched 14,104 acres. It was 93% contained on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Line Fire Arsonist Set Multiple Blazes, Charged With 9 Felonies: DA

Heat Dome Creates Critical Fire Danger

Across the state, heat advisories have been issued as temperatures could reach highs 10 to 20 degrees above average for autumn, the National Weather Service warned.

Temperatures in Los Angeles County were expected to reach 95 to 105 degrees in the valley and further inland on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the potential to reach 110 degrees in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

"The heat and low humidities will bring fire weather danger to the area as well," LA-area forecasters wrote on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in Northern California, San Francisco was expected to reach 96 degrees in some parts of the city on Tuesday. An excessive heat warning remains in effect until Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Some parts of the Bay Area were gearing up for power shutoffs amid the heat.

Notices of possible PSPS outages for Tuesday were sent to 57 customers in Alameda County, 286 in Contra Costa County, 140 in Napa County and 11 in Sonoma County, according to PG&A.