Line Fire: California Blaze Grows Rapidly as Thousands of Homes at Risk

This week's Line Fire in California has rapidly grown putting thousands of homes at risk.

The wildfire started on Thursday and, as of Sunday morning, has destroyed about 27 square miles of grass and chaparral along the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California as over 600 personnel try to put out the blaze.

Cal Fire, the state's forestry and fire protection department, said that 35,405 structures, including single and multi-family homes and commercial buildings, have been threatened by the wildfire. There have been no reports of structures being damaged or destroyed as of early Sunday evening.

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for San Bernardino County on Saturday, unlocking additional state resources and personnel to assist firefighters and securing federal assistance to support the response to the Line Fire.

"I thank President [Joe] Biden for his swift approval of support for the work of our firefighters and first responders battling this fire and protecting local communities. It's critical that residents in the impacted areas remain vigilant and prepare to evacuate immediately if called for by local authorities," the governor said in a statement.

Strong winds and dry conditions have fueled the fire, which has grown amid a dayslong heat wave. Temperatures reached the triple digits on Saturday and are expected to range from the upper 80s to around 100 degrees on Sunday.

Cal Fire also warned of possible thunderstorms over the fire area on Sunday, which could cause more damage.

"Afternoon thunderstorms could cause new ignitions and potentially influence activity around the fire perimeter. Hot and dry conditions mixed with thunderstorms are expected to challenge firefighters for the next few days," state firefighters said.

A study published in Nature, a science journal, in 2023 found that climate change has increased the risk of extreme daily wildfire growth in California by 25 percent.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has issued evacuation orders for the following areas:

• The area from Calle Del Rio to Hwy 38, including Greenspot Road North
• All underdeveloped land east of Highway 330 to Summertrail Place and north of Highland Avenue
• The areas of Running Spring east of Highway 330 and south of Highway 18
• The communities of Running Springs and Arrow Bear Lake
• The area east of Orchard Road to Cloverhill from Highland Avenue north to the foothills North of Highland Avenue and East of Palm Avenue to Highway 330

Meanwhile, people who require extra time to leave their homes and those with pets and livestock in the following areas have been advised to leave immediately:

• From Boulder Avenue east to Church Street and Greenspot Road north to the foothills
• Church Street east to the city limit and from the foothills south to Greenspot Road
• Green Valley Lake north of Highway 18
• The communities of Cedar Glen, Lake Arrowhead, Crestline, and Valley of Enchantment Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks, Mountain Home Village

Newsom's office responded on September 9 to a request for comment by Newsweek with a news release from that day that announced that the California National Guard will deploy four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters for water-bucket dropping operations.

As well as the helicopters, there will be deployments of two C-130 aircraft with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, four 20-person hand crews, which amounts to 80 soldiers, and one military police company to help the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department with traffic control points in evacuated areas.

"As the Line Fire continues to pose a threat to San Bernardino communities, we're pouring resources into this incident aggressively by deploying more air and ground support through the California National Guard," Newsom said in the press release.

"This is on top of nearly 2,000 firefighters, nearly 200 engines, and air assets we already have tackling this fire. California stands with these communities and has their backs."

Update 9/11/24, 1:41 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.