The cooler weather has facilitated the reinforcement of containment lines around three significant wildfires in Southern California, which have consumed tens of thousands of acres, necessitating evacuations and causing property damage to numerous buildings in the area.
As per the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties had consumed more than 54,000 acres by Sunday, making it the largest fire in the region. Since its onset on September 8th, the fire has caused the destruction of a minimum of 49 buildings and posed a threat to over 12,000 additional properties.
The U.S. Forest Service said that firefighters made additional advancements overnight in their efforts to create and reinforce containment lines around the fires. By Sunday evening, the Bridge Fire had been confined to 9% of its initial size, with more than 2,600 firefighters actively fighting the fire.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office stated that evacuation alerts and orders were reduced in several locations on Sunday, including residential areas in San Antonio Heights where homeowners were authorized to return to their residential properties. However, Cal Fire also reported that numerous other locations, including the East Fork communities, Mt. Baldy Road, the region spanning from Highway 138 south to the northern boundary of San Antonio Heights, and the Wrightwood community, were still being evacuated.
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As of Sunday, authorities reported that just two firemen had sustained injuries and the cause of the Bridge Fire is still being investigated.
Simultaneously, a combined number of almost 6,000 emergency workers were engaged in resistance against two further fires in San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside counties.
