Cooler weather brings relief to firefighters battling California’s three massive blazes

Crews battling three major California fires could get some relief from record heat and help from the weather as a cooldown preceded minor containment for the blazes.

By Saturday, the Airport, Bridge and Line fires have collectively burned over 115,000 acres of land in the state since they ignited this month, destroyed more than a dozen of structures and injured at least 15 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

None is fully contained.

A high pressure system that has baked the west for much of September moved eastward and opened the door to a cooler system that will usher in cloud cover, ocean breezes, and the possibility of showers, as well as temperatures that are expected to drop to between 10 and 25 degrees below average. Hot, flame-fanning winds from the desert are dissipating, and the cooler temps may help firefighters give the blaze their best.

Airport Fire

The Airport Fire, which started Monday in the area of Trabuco Canyon, about 55 miles southeast of Los Angeles, expanded to 23,519 acres in a footprint that included parts of Orange and Riverside counties, according to Cal Fire.

By Saturday night, firefighters contained about 19% of the fire, it said.

The fight was helped not only by weather but by an influx of reinforcements, including crews and aircraft, Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday evening.

“Firefighters are creating a robust barrier against the fire’s spread,” it said.

The department tallied up the damage: 107 structures destroyed, 12 damaged, and 13 people, including firefighters, injured.

“That is extremely steep and challenging country,” Craig Covey, operations chief for the blaze, said in a video update Friday.

In the span of the workweek, high temperatures dove roughly 15 degrees in the area of the Airport Fire.

The fight has also been helped by barren fire scars from past blazes, which have acted as a virtual fence for wayward flames, he said.

Crews have constructed indirect containment lines using dozers and hand crews, according to a Saturday update from Cal Fire, including in Decker Canyon, where already existing lines were reinforced by this work.

The update added that despite the fact that direct lines are tough to build due to the “rugged” terrain of the area, cooling weather conditions have aided efforts.

Evacuation orders in some areas near the Airport Fire, named for its proximity to a remote-controlled aircraft facility, were downgraded from mandatory to voluntary. Included in the downgrade is Robinson Ranch neighborhood of Rancho Santa Margarita, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Despite the progress, The Orange County Health Officer declared a local health emergency Friday in the areas impacted by the fire.

“Overall, the firefighters’ efforts demonstrate positive results in containing the fire and mitigating damage,” Cal Fire said in the Saturday update. “However, the situation remains fluid, and crews will continue to adapt their strategies in response to changing conditions.”

Bridge Fire

Seventy miles north, along the border between Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties in the San Gabriel Mountains, firefighters registered progress after a few days of alarming growth of the Bridge Fire. By Saturday, it was 5% contained.

The blaze, which started Sept. 8 near the Bridge to Nowhere, a circa-1936 structure built for a road that never materialized, grew to 53,783 acres Saturday and is the largest in the state as it threatened structures in mountain communities east of Los Angeles.

Firefighters held back the fire’s growth on Saturday even as they contended with a new blaze in the Lytle Creek area east of the Bridge Fire’s origin, Cal Fire said in an update.

“Several helicopters working the hottest areas helped firefighters make progress,” it said.

Firefighters combating the blaze “are identifying and strengthening secondary contingency lines” and damage inspection teams are continuing to assess affected areas Saturday, according to Angeles National Forest.

An accounting of damage so far includes 19 structures destroyed and six damages, according to Cal Fire. Two people — including at least one firefighter — have been injured in the blaze, it said.

Mountain High, one of three snow resorts in the San Gabriel Mountains, said in a statement Wednesday that its base facilities were intact after the fire marched through it.

In a statement Friday, the fire’s federally operated unified command unit credited “excellent work by firefighters and moderating weather” for stopping the blaze’s expansion.

The fire was most active was on the north flank in the Blue Ridge area as of Saturday as firefighters “continue to make good progress with direct attack and structure protection” in the Wrightwood area, according to the update from Angeles National Forest.

“Resources were concentrated on the northern area, with aerial support aiding efforts near Big Pines and Wrightwood,” the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office said. “Despite the fire backing downhill on the east side and challenges in Icehouse Canyon’s rugged terrain, crews prioritized structure protection in Mt. Baldy Village.”

The Sheriff’s Office added that weather helped to establish a direct line on the fire’s southern boundary and “favorable winds” helped to keep the fire under control on the west side, where the terrain is most rugged.

A one-acre blaze broke out Friday in the Mount Baldy area, Angeles National Forest said, but a crew successfully contained it as of Saturday.

More than 11,000 structures were under threat as mandatory evacuations remained in place for multiple communities, including Wrightwood, home to Mountain High, according to state and federal statements.

Unified command operations Chief Kristian Litz said Friday there were still active flames near Wrightwood and in the community of Big Pine, both at the northern end of the blaze. In those areas firefighters face the steep terrain and forest fuel that could give the fire new life.

At the south end are neighborhoods that are vulnerable to flames, he said. “We are preparing and planning on a full suppression effort,” Litz said.

Line Fire

Also in San Bernardino County, about 40 miles east of the Bridge Fire, firefighters working the mountainous 38,417-acre Line Fire posted leading progress, achieving 29% containment Saturday night.

The fire was “moderated” Friday night and into Saturday morning due to higher moisture levels in the air, according to Cal Fire. Despite the change in weather, the fire continued to thrive in dry areas.

So far one structure has been destroyed and three others were damaged, Cal Fire said. Three people, including at least one firefighter, have been injured, it said.

On Thursday, unified command officials said more than 65,000 homes were threatened by the blaze. As of Saturday, Cal Fire said 56,100 structures were threatened.

Evacuation orders remained in effect for the communities of Running Springs, Arrowbear Lake, Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks and all campgrounds and cabins in the fire zone, Cal Fire said.

On Friday, unified command Chief Jeremy Pierce said the fire was all but knocked down in the foothills of Highland, near the location of the fire’s start on Sept. 5, and evacuees there were being allowed to return.

“We’re confident that that fire is out in that area,” Pierce said in a video update Friday.

There were still active flames on Keller Peak, about 22 miles northeast of Highland, on Friday he said. “We’re going to take advantage of the high humidity, we’re going to take advantage of the lack of wind,” Pierce said.

A suspect, Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, was arrested and charged with arson for allegedly starting the fire, county authorities said. Motive was unknown, they said, and it wasn’t clear if he has secured a lawyer for the case. The public defender for San Bernardino did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Of the fire personnel injured in the three blazes, the Line Fire has been connected to three, all with minor injuries, said Fabian Herrera, spokesperson for the fire’s unified command.

Forecast could aid effort

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and said he has secured federal assistance for residents in the four counties affected by the blazes. He also said mutual aid from Washington, Utah, and North Dakota, including firefighters, were sent to Southern California.

Nearly 6,000 personnel and 60 aircraft, including National Guard aircraft capable of dropping water, have been assigned to help fight the blazes.

The weather outlook should give firefighters the weekend and beyond to battle the three fires without unforgiving temperatures.

A strong cool, low-pressure system moving in from the Pacific is forecast to reduce temperatures even further this weekend and through early next week, according to the National Weather Service in San Diego, which covers the areas of the fires except Los Angeles County.

The cool system will allow widespread rain, mountain snow and a significant drop in temperatures in the west that will aid the wildfire conditions.

Temperatures are expected to drop between 10 and 25 degrees below average through the first half of the week.

But the weekend of Sept. 21, “significant warming” could bring temperatures back to summer norms just as fall arrives, it said.