LOS ANGELES — Thousands of firefighters helped by the cold weather made progress on Saturday against three wildfires in Southern California, and officials in northern Nevada are hopeful that almost all evacuees from the blaze will soon be able to return home.
Authorities have begun to reduce evacuations at the height of the blaze. The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles has burned 81 square miles (210 square kilometers), burning at least 33 homes and six cabins and forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people. Two firefighters have been injured in the blaze, state fire officials said.
Operations chief Don Freguila said on Saturday that containment was about 3% and improving, with nearly 2,500 firefighters working on the lines. He said the focus was on the west side of the fire and the north edge near Wrightwood, where air tankers were dropping fire in steep, rugged terrain that ground crews couldn’t access.
“A lot of good work. We really beat this and started making good progress,” said Freguila. He said a new fire broke out Friday near the Mount Baldy ski area on the south side of the fire, only burning about an acre before crews were “pressed.”
Southern California has threatened tens of thousands of homes and other structures since rising during a triple-digit heat wave.
A fire in Nevada near Lake Tahoe broke out last weekend, destroying 14 homes and burning trees and brush along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. An estimated 20,000 people were forced from their homes earlier this week.
Fire officials said there was a 90% chance the last of the evacuees would be able to return to their homes by the end of Saturday.
The fire was about 76% contained Saturday, fire spokeswoman Celeste Prescott said. Some 700 crew members had to be sent to other fires, he added.
Firefighters are mostly mopping up, but expect the wind to pick up later in the evening, so be prepared to attack any bright spots.
“We are on the verge of a big success here,” Truckee Meadows Fire District Chief Charles Moore said.
Authorities said a delivery driver accidentally started a Line Fire in Southern California on September 5. It has charred 59 square miles (153 square kilometers) in the San Bernardino mountains, where people ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer.
It was 25% on Saturday. Cooler weather over the next few days will help, fire officials said.
It burned through dense vegetation that grew after two back-to-back rainy seasons when snowstorms snapped tree branches, leaving behind a lot of “dead and down fuel,” Cal Fire Chief of Operations Jed Gaines said.
Three firefighters have been injured in the fire, according to Cal Fire.
The Big Bear Zoo said all the animals were moved to a zoo in the city of Palm Desert to protect them from wildfires and rising temperatures.
—
Arson-related charges have been filed against Justin Wayne Halstenberg, who is accused of starting the Line Fire. He will be charged Monday according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. Halstenberg’s mother, Connie Halstenberg, told the Los Angeles Times that her son “didn’t light the fire.”
The full extent of the damage caused by the blaze remains unclear, but San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said at least one home has been destroyed.
The Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties has been difficult to tackle because of steep terrain and dry conditions — and because some areas haven’t burned in decades. Reportedly sparked by workers using heavy equipment, it has burned more than 37 square miles (96 square kilometers). It was 9% on Saturday.
“Although direct lines have been difficult to build due to rough terrain, favorable weather conditions have supported efforts,” said a Saturday situation report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Eleven firefighters and two residents have been injured in the blaze, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. It destroyed at least 27 cabins in the Sacred Jim Canyon area, authorities said.
___
Sonner reported from Reno, Nevada. Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press reporters Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Calif., and Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, Calif., contributed.
