While most Southern California residents are almost a couple of weeks removed from being draped by massive clouds of smoke, fire crews are still battling the region’s three major wildfires as of Saturday.
Here’s a look at each of the Airport, Bridge and Line fires, and where they stand on Saturday.
Airport Fire
The Airport Fire torched Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon and made its way over to parts of Riverside County, near Lake Elsinore and Temescal Valley. The blaze, the most recent of the three major fires to break out, forced thousands residents out of their homes, though most evacuation orders have since been lifted.
Officially, according to Cal Fire, the blaze destroyed 160 structures and injured 15 fire personnel and civilians.
Tragically, eight firefighters were hospitalized after a fire engine was involved in a rollover crash in Irvine on Thursday night. The firefighters were on their way to the Airport Fire.
In an update Friday, officials said six remained hospitalized with conditions ranging from stable to critical.
The latest Cal Fire update was issued at 5:34 p.m. Friday.
- Containment: 62%
- Acres: 23,519
- Date Started: Sept. 9, 2024
- Location: Trabuco Canyon
- Cause: Spark from heavy equipment
Updated information can be found on the Airport Fire incident page.
Bridge Fire
The Bridge Fire, spread across tens of thousands of acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, is the closest of the three to full containment. Fire crews have “put a lid” over the blaze, according to Cal Fire, and have held spreading to a minimum in recent days.
As of Saturday, 81 structures were destroyed and five injuries were reported to fire personnel and civilians, according to Cal Fire.
The latest Cal Fire update was issued at 5:55 a.m. Saturday.
- Containment: 65%
- Acres: 54,795
- Date Started: Sept. 8, 2024
- Location: Camp Bonita Road east of Camp Williams
- Cause: Under investigation
Updated information can be found on the Bridge Fire incident page.
Line Fire
The Line Fire, which covered much of the Inland Empire in smoke after it started on Sept. 5, has been mostly curbed thanks to rain storms that occurred Friday night. Though temperatures are likely to rise early next week, Cal Fire says winds aren’t expected to be significant.
As of Saturday morning, just one structure was destroyed and four injuries were confirmed to fire personnel and civilians.
The latest Cal Fire update was issued at 7:38 a.m. Saturday.
- Containment: 57%
- Acres: 39,232
- Date Started: Sept. 5, 2024
- Location: Baseline Street and Aplin Street in Highland
- Cause: Arson
Updated information can be found on the Line Fire incident page.
