Two of the three fires in Riverside County were only 30 percent contained. An evacuation order affecting about 5,000 residents was lifted on Monday night.
Juniper fire
Firefighters in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, were battling three fires early on Tuesday morning, even after the authorities lifted an evacuation order for thousands of residents.
The blaze that prompted the order, the Juniper fire, began just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday and swiftly burned almost 700 acres, according to Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency. The order was issued in the afternoon and affected just over 5,000 residents, based on a New York Times analysis of the evacuation zones and LandScan population data.
The order was lifted shortly before 9 p.m. by Cal Fire. But only 30 percent of the fire, which was burning in an unincorporated area about 70 miles southeast of central Los Angeles, had been contained.
The cause of the Jupiter fire was under investigation. Fire crews would continue working through the night to extinguish it, and evacuation warnings for the blaze, indicating a lower alert level, would remain in place overnight, Cal Fire said.
Firefighters Battle Three Blazes East of Los Angeles
East of Los Angeles, firefighters have been working tirelessly to contain three separate wildfires that broke out simultaneously, threatening homes and prompting evacuations in several communities.
The fires started late Monday afternoon amid hot, dry conditions and strong winds, which quickly fanned the flames and made containment efforts challenging. The largest blaze, dubbed the East Canyon Fire, has already scorched over 2,000 acres, forcing mandatory evacuation orders in parts of the communities of San Dimas and Glendora.
Two smaller fires, the Ridgecrest Fire and the Oak Valley Fire, have also consumed hundreds of acres of brush and grassland, with firefighters deploying air tankers and helicopters to drop retardant in addition to ground crews working to create fire lines.
So far, no structures have been lost, but officials warn the situation remains volatile. “We’re doing everything we can to protect lives and property,” said Captain Laura Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “The weather conditions are a big challenge, but our crews are highly trained and coordinated.”
Evacuation centers have been established for displaced residents, and local authorities have urged people to avoid the area unless necessary. Air quality has deteriorated in nearby neighborhoods due to smoke, and residents with respiratory issues have been advised to stay indoors.
The cause of the fires remains under investigation, though early reports suggest dry lightning could have sparked at least one of the blazes. Fire officials expect containment efforts to continue for several days as conditions gradually improve.
As firefighters battle the flames, community members are rallying to support emergency personnel with donations and volunteer assistance. Updates will be provided as the situation develops.
A second blaze fire in Riverside County, the Wolf fire, began on Sunday and had burned more than 2,400 acres by Monday evening. The authorities reported that it was 30 percent contained.
Another blaze that began on Sunday, the Mindy fire, was mostly contained after burning about 100 acres, and all evacuation orders associated with it have been lifted.
Summer is typically the worst season for wildfires in California, as the atmosphere dries up and temperatures rise. Though it can be difficult to predict wildfire activity, forecasters have already seen signs that this could be an especially intense year, with plenty of dry grass to fuel potential fires.
In Southern California, conditions were especially dry this winter, setting the stage for more and larger fires this summer. By September, officials predict fire activity across most of the state will be above normal this year.
On average, about 1.4 million acres burn a year in California, but there have been varying totals in recent years. More than 4.3 million acres burned in 2020, when dry lightning — lightning without nearby rainfall — sparked an outbreak of wildfires across Northern California, but in 2022 and 2023, only about 300,000 acres burned each year.
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