The flare-up of the Line Fire worsened Monday as evacuation orders were expanded and firefighters lost some ground in containing the San Bernardino County wildfire.
The new charred acres also led California to reach a grim milestone: 1 million acres burned by 2024.
The Line Fire, which has been burning in San Bernardino County for nearly a month, began spreading more rapidly over the weekend due to abnormally warm temperatures that sucked moisture out of vegetation and the air, according to Cal Fire. Containment of the fire fell from 83% to 78% as of Monday night.
“Firefighters were expecting some movement” from the fire, but its performance “exceeded expectations,” Cal Fire said in a Monday update.
The Red Cross opened a new evacuation shelter at the Apple Valley Conference Center on Monday to support those affected by the Line Fire, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The center is at 14975 Dale Evans Parkway. The evacuation shelter at Redlands East Valley High School, 31000 E. Colton Ave., remained open.
The Line Fire has burned a total of 43,459 acres, which, along with previous fires, including the ongoing Bridge and Airport fires, has brought the total acres burned in California this year to 1,000,181 as of Monday night, according to Cal Fire.
This far exceeds the total acres burned during the same period last year (293,362), but is roughly on par with the five-year average for the period.
The devastating Park Fire in Northern California contributed significantly to this milestone, burning nearly 430,000 acres between July 24 and September 26, when it reached full containment. It is the fourth largest fire in California history, according to Cal Fire.
So far this fire season, a total of 1,433 structures have been destroyed and one death has been reported, the agency said.
The Line fire has damaged or destroyed five structures and injured four firefighters. The alleged arson began on September 5 and an arrest was made.
On Sunday, residents of Seven Oaks and the Barton Flats area were ordered to evacuate due to the immediate threat from the fire. On Monday, this order was expanded to include Angelus Oaks and the Big Bear Lake community, including Moonridge, Sugarloaf and southern Erwin Lake.
