LOS ANGELES — The total number of acres burned in California this year surpassed 1 million as high temperatures Tuesday added to the challenges for firefighters struggling to contain a stubborn conflagration in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles that flared up over the weekend.
Evacuation orders were extended again Monday for remote communities northeast of Los Angeles as the Line Fire, which has been burning for nearly a month, spread across nearly 68 square miles (176 square kilometers) of the San Bernardino Mountains and containment dropped from 83% to 76%.
“The dry vegetation, steep slopes and wind aligned … to create the conditions for rapid fire spread,” according to a statement late Monday from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
The risk of wildfires increased across California as a fall heat wave scorched large parts of the state. Some inland areas could see temperatures up to 20 degrees above average for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.
San Francisco, where residents usually break out the sweaters in October, could reach 90 degrees (32 C), while triple digits (38 C) were predicted for Sacramento. The weather service office in the state capital urged residents to stay indoors during the day’s heat on Tuesday.
Dry, hot winds in the northern part of the state got Pacific Gas & Electric to preemptively cut off power to small clusters of customers in high-risk areas. The utility routinely stops electricity service in counties where weather conditions increase the likelihood of fires.
In Southern California, the Line Fire’s increase pushed the total number of acres burned across the state in 2024 to 1,001,993 (405,492 hectares) as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire. The milestone surpasses the total burned during the same period last year – 293,362 hectares (118,719 acres) – but is roughly on par with the five-year average for the period, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A 34-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to start the line fire on September 5. Justin Wayne Halstenberg of Norco, Calif., was charged with 11 murder-related offenses, according to court records.
At its height, the fire threatened more than 65,000 homes in and around the Big Bear Lake area.