The outbreak of the Line fire worsened Monday as evacuation orders increased and firefighters lost ground to contain the San Bernardino County wildfire.
The new acres burned also pushed California past a grim milestone: 1 million acres burned by 2024.
The Line fire, which has been burning for nearly a month in San Bernardino County, began spreading rapidly over the weekend due to unusual heat that is sucking moisture from vegetation and the air, according to Cal Fire. Fire containment has dropped from 83% to 78% as of late Monday.
“Firefighters were expecting some movement” of the fire, but its behavior “exceeded expectations,” Cal Fire said in a Monday update.
The Red Cross opened a new shelter at the Apple Valley Conference Center on Monday to support those affected by the Line fire, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The facility is located at 14975 Dale Evans Parkway. The shelter at Redlands East Valley High School, 31000 E. Colton Ave., remains open.
As of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire reported that the Line fire had grown to 44,046 acres but crews were still holding something, raising it to 80% containment. The acres burned combined with the ongoing Bridge and Airport fires pushed the total acres burned in California this year to 1,000,181, according to Cal Fire.
This far exceeds the total acres burned during the same period last year – 293,362 – but is about the same as the five-year average for that period.
The devastating Park Fire in Northern California contributed significantly to the historic process, burning nearly 430,000 hectares between July 24 and September 26 when it reached total containment. It is the fourth largest wildfire in California history, according to Cal Fire.
So far this fire season, 1,433 buildings have been destroyed, and one person has been reported dead, said the organization.
The Line fire damaged or destroyed five buildings and resulted in injuries to four firefighters. The alleged vandalism began on September 5, and some have been arrested.
On Sunday, residents of Seven Oaks and the Barton Flats neighborhood were ordered to evacuate due to the threat of fire. On Monday the order was expanded to include Angelus Oaks and the Big Bear Lake community, including Moonridge, Sugarloaf and south of Erwin Lake.
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