Cooler weather in Southern California helps in wildfire battle

LOS ANGELES -- Thousands of firefighters aided by cooler weather made progress Saturday against three Southern California wildfires, and officials in northern Nevada were hopeful that almost all evacuees from a blaze there could soon be home.

Authorities have started scaling back evacuations at the largest blaze. The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles has burned 81 square miles (210 square kilometers), torched at least 33 homes and six cabins and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. Two firefighters have been injured in the blaze, state fire officials said.

Operations section chief Don Freguila said Saturday that containment was estimated at 3% and improving, with nearly 2,500 firefighters working the lines. He said Saturday's focus would be on the fire's west flank and northern edge near Wrightwood, where airtankers dropped retardant on the flames in steep, rugged areas inaccessible to ground crews.

“A lot of good work. We're really beating this up and starting to make some good progress,” Freguila said. He said a new spot fire broke out Friday night near the Mount Baldy ski area along the blaze's southern edge, burning only about an acre before crews “buttoned it up."

The Southern California have threatened tens of thousands of homes and other structures since they escalated during a triple-digit heat wave.

The Davis fire in northern Nevada

The blaze in Nevada near Lake Tahoe broke out last weekend, destroying 14 homes and burning through nearly 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of timber and brush along the Sierra Nevada’s eastern slope. Some 20,000 people were forced from their homes early this week.

Fire officials said there was a 90% chance the last of the evacuees would be able to return to their homes by the end of Saturday.

Containment of the blaze was estimated at 76% Saturday, fire spokeswoman Celeste Prescott said. Some of the 700 crew members should soon be sent off to other fires, she added.

Firefighters were mostly mopping up but anticipated winds picking up in the afternoon so stood ready to attack any spots that flare up.

“We're on the verge of big success here,” Truckee Meadows Fire District Chief Charles Moore said.

The Line Fire in Southern California

Authorities say a delivery driver purposely started the Line Fire in Southern California on Sept. 5. It has charred 59 square miles (153 square kilometers) in the San Bernardino mountains, where people ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer.

It was 25% contained as of Saturday. Cool weather over the next several days should help, fire officials said.

It is burning through dense vegetation that grew after two back-to-back wet winters when snowstorms broke tree branches, leaving behind a lot of “dead and down fuel,” Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Jed Gaines said.

Three firefighters have been injured in the fire, according to Cal Fire.

The Big Bear Zoo said it moved all its animals to a zoo in the city of Palm Desert to protect them from the wildfires and escalating temperatures.

—

Arson-related charges have been filed against Justin Wayne Halstenberg, who is accused of starting the Line Fire. He is due to be arraigned on Monday according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office. Halstenberg's mother, Connie Halstenberg, told the Los Angeles Times that her son “did not light that fire.”

The full extent of the damage caused by the blaze remains unclear, but San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said at least one home was destroyed.

The Airport Fire in Southern California

The Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties fire has been difficult to tame because of the steep terrain and dry conditions — and because some areas hadn’t burned in decades. Reportedly sparked by workers using heavy equipment, it has burned more than 37 square miles (96 square kilometers). It was 9% contained as of Saturday.

“Although direct lines have been challenging to build due to rugged terrain, favorable weather conditions have supported their efforts,” the Saturday situation report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Eleven firefighters and two residents have been injured in the blaze, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. It destroyed at least 27 cabins in the Holy Jim Canyon area, authorities said.

___

Sonner reported from Reno, Nevada. Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press reporters Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California, and Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California, contributed.