Here’s what you need to know about the Airport, Bridge, and Line fires burning in Southern California

September 14th, 2024
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It’s been a smoky, stress-filled week with three major wildfires burning out of control across Southern California in the midst of a heat wave. As of Friday morning, more than 110,000 acres have burned, forcing evacuations, school cancellations, and unhealthy air conditions.
The good news? The weather has shifted and fire officials say the fires are slowing down as of Friday morning. Here’s what we know going into the weekend.

The Bridge fire, currently the largest fire burning in California, has slowed down and firefighters have achieved 3% containment
The Airport fire’s forward progress has been stopped and containment is starting to climb
Flames in the Line fire have slowed to a crawl thanks to favorable weather in the San Bernardino Mountains

This map shows where the fires are burning in relation to one another as of Friday morning

The three fires continued to burn Friday, forcing evacuations and threatening homes around Southern California. READ MORE

• Photos: Airport fire continues to burn in Orange and Riverside counties
• Photos: Bridge fire is now the largest active wildfire in the state
• Photos: Line fire continues to burn in San Bernardino Mountains

How did they start?

Airport fire: A public works crew sparked the fire
Line fire: A Norco man was arrested and charged on suspicion of intentionally starting the fire
Bridge fire: The cause of the fire has not yet been reported

What has been lost

This is an accounting of homes, infrastructure, and landmarks destroyed by the fires so far
Airport fire destroys cabins in historic Holy Jim Canyon
Homes burned near Lake Elsinore
‘It was like a hurricane:’ Two brothers lost their homes near Ortega Highway
The oldest fire lookout in the San Bernardino National Forest was destroyed by the Line fire

From the front lines

Just as a Cal Fire battalion chief was about to retreat from an overrun area of the Airport fire, a woman emerged from the flames. A dramatic video captured the rescue
Wrightwood residents describe harrowing scene as Bridge fire tore through town
Mountain High Ski Resort survived the Bridge fire
The Phelan exotic animal sanctuary may have to move 200 animals out of the path of the Bridge fire

How to help
Here’s how to help victims of the Southern California wildfires READ MORE