California’s wildfire season still has a ways to go yet, but much of the state’s landscape has already been devastated by fast-moving, dangerous fires.
As stories come in from anxious residents describing “hellish-like” scenes, and with much of the regular wildfire season still to go, more than 3 times the total amount of land burned last year has now been surpassed.
Bridge Fire
The Bridge Fire is yet to be contained, and is burning parts of San Bernardino County and the San Gabriel Mountains.
CalFire’s report on Wednesday evening estimated that the fire had spread over 50000 acres at that time.
Firefighter Priority
At the moment, the priority for firefighters is to protect the communities most vulnerable to further destruction.
CalFire commanders said: “The top priority for firefighters remained in structure protection and defense within the communities of Wrightwood, Pinon Hills and Mount Baldy.”
Evacuate
Evacuation orders have been issued across the region, and more may be to come as much of the wildfires remain uncontained.
A recent evacuation order came from San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office, which read: “The area from Hwy 138 south to Lone Pine Canyon and Hwy 2 east to Lone Pine Canyon Road is now under EVACUATION ORDER.”
Small Town Destruction
Wrightwood, in San Bernardino, has been seriously affected by the blaze, which rapidly ripped through parts of the town.
It is a small town in a valley in the San Gabriel Mountains with a population of a little more than 4500.
Scary Scenes
Residents of the small town were rushed out by firefighters, who were told they did not have time to collect their belongings.
The sky rapidly reddened in a very short space of time as the fire began to close in on the previously tranquil habitation.
Hellish
Alex Luna, one of the residents that was forced to evacuate, spoke of the “hellish-like” scenes he witnessed as the fire approached.
“It was very just dark. Not a good place to be at that moment. Ash was falling from the sky like if it was snowing.”
Collection of Fires
The Bridge Fire currently threatening communities such as Wrightwood is one of only 3 major fires still burning in California.
In Orange County, they are dealing with the more recently sparked Airport Fire, while in San Bernardino National Forest, the Line Fire continues to spread.
Firewave
High, triple-digit temperatures brought by a late Summer California heatwave may have helped to spark the wildfires engulfing parts of the state.
As temperatures finally start to cool down, it is hoped that this will help to deal with the fires currently raging as well as help to prevent the sparking of further wildfires.
In Numbers
It has been a particularly bad fire season in California this year, especially in comparison to 2023, which saw a drop below the 5-year average for acreage burned.
Already, wildfires have exceeded 3 times the amount of land burned last year. The current statistics from CalFire show that just under a million acres of land have burned this year.
