By Andrew Hay
(Reuters) – Southern California wildfires have burned mountain homes, torn through a ski resort and prompted the evacuation of thousands from their homes in suburbs east of Los Angeles.
Houses were destroyed in the village of Wrightwood and flames swept through the nearby Mountain High ski resort, as the Bridge Fire in San Bernardino County exploded to over 47,000 acres (19,000 hectares), becoming the largest of four blazes in the area.
The Airport fire in Orange and Riverside counties grew to 22,000 acres, burning homes in El Cariso Village, according to authorities and local news reports.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and said he had secured federal funds to fight the Airport Fire.
Tinder-dry scrub and gusting winds are fueling the fires during a severe heatwave that climate scientists blame on global warming. Over a dozen injuries have been reported.
People taped gaps around their doors and schools closed in at least 10 districts because of smoky air from another blaze in San Bernardino County, the Line Fire.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s office arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly starting the Line Fire on Sept. 5.
Wildfires are a natural occurrence in mountains east of Los Angeles but the ability of firefighters to just let them burn has been hampered by people moving there after being priced out of the city. Many new homeowners are struggling to get fire insurance.
The area of land burned in California this year is already double that of 2023, when the state enjoyed more moisture, according to data from California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or CAL FIRE.
The United States is experiencing a strong wildfire year with 6.9 million acres burned to date, compared with an annual, full-year average of around 7 million acres over the last decade, according to National Interagency Fire Center data.
(Reporting By Andrew Hay; editing by Donna Bryson and Marguerita Choy)
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