3 separate fires torch 4 counties

Three separate fires — Bridge, Line and Airport fires — have torched parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

LOS ANGELES – California’s wildfire season is in full force.

So far, the Golden State has already seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023.

In Southern California, three major wildfires are currently burning: Bridge Fire, Airport Fire, and Line Fire.

Bridge Fire:

The Bridge Fire sparked Sunday, Sept. 8 in the San Gabriel Canyon. Evacuations are in place for homes in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. About 20 homes in the Mount Baldy area and 13 in the Wrightwood area were destroyed, as well as six cabins in the wilderness area. As of Friday, the fire had burned over 51,000 acres and is 3% contained. The Bridge Fire is now the largest active fire in the state. Gov. Newsom declared a State of Emergency Wednesday in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

View a map of the fires currently burning in California

Airport Fire

The Airport Fire broke out Monday, Sept. 9 in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon. By Friday morning, it burned 23,494 acres and was 8% contained. Thousands of homes in Orange and Riverside counties are under mandatory evacuations. Investigators said the fire was unintentionally caused by heavy equipment used by a public works employee.

Line Fire

The Line Fire burning in San Bernardino County broke out Thursday, Sept. 5 just after 6:30 p.m. in the city of Highland. Several homes were forced to evacuate. In addition to evacuations, residents are being told to stay indoors to avoid unhealthy and even hazardous air quality caused by the wildfire smoke. By Friday morning, the fire burned 37,743 acres and was 21% contained. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested 34-year-old Justin Halstenberg for arson. While the motive remains under investigation, authorities said evidence indicates the fire was intentionally set.

Arson suspect arrested for allegedly starting Line Fire

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested 34-year-old Justin Halstenberg on Tuesday.

California fires in 2024

According to Cal Fire, so far in 2024, they have battled 6,078 wildfires which have burned 977,923 acres, damaged 199 structures and destroyed another 1,134. At least one death was reported.

The largest fire burning in the state is the Park Fire in Butte and Tehama counties. It sparked on July 24 after a man allegedly pushed a burning car down an embankment. The arsonist, 42-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout II, was arrested. The fire burned 429,603 acres and is 99% contained.

California fire statistics

According to Cal Fire, the largest fire in the state’s history is the August Complex Fire which burned 1,032,648 935 acres across Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake, and Colusa counties. The August Complex was ignited by lightning on August 16 and 17, 2020, according to the US Forest Service. It destroyed 935 structures and killed one person.

The most destructive fire in state history is the Camp Fire which broke out in November 2018 in Butte County. 153,336 acres were burned and 18,804 structures were destroyed. In total, 85 people died. The Camp Fire is also reported to be California’s deadliest fire.