BNN Bloomberg
A fast-growing wildfire forcing evacuations in Southern California shows the danger the state now faces, as record-smashing heat waves dry out the landscape just as the Santa Ana wind season is due to begin.
The Line Fire east of Los Angeles had burned more than 21,000 acres as of midday Monday, scorching an area where residential neighborhoods and commercial buildings border the San Bernardino National Forest. Just 3% of the fire is contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has ordered thousands of people to evacuate, and more than 36,000 structures are threatened.
The last two winters were unusually wet across California, leading to explosive growth of wildflowers, grasses and brush. That vegetation has now been parched by the state’s annual dry season and a series of heat waves, creating fuel for fires. Forecasters reported record daily high temperatures Sunday in seven Southern California cities, from coastal Los Angeles and Long Beach to the inland hub of Riverside, which reached 110F (43C).
While the latest blast of heat is expected to break early this week, it has left the region primed for fire when offshore winds arrive…
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