Fast-moving wildfire in US Southern California forces evacuations

Los Angeles, July 12 (IANS) A wildfire burning in US Southern California exploded to nearly 2,700 acres (about 10.9 square kilometers) Saturday, forcing evacuations amid dangerous heat wave.

The blaze, dubbed the Summit fire, was reported at about 1 p.m. Friday local time in Llano, a small community near the Los Angeles and San Bernardino county line. It has been zero contained as of Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for nearby areas. Officials said firefighters continue to battle the wildfire from both the air and the ground. Steep and rugged terrain is making access challenging, but crews remain actively engaged, with helicopters providing aerial support, Xinhua news agency reported.

Temperatures in the area reportedly climbed to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) on Friday, and a heat advisory remains in effect for much of Southern California through Tuesday morning.

Earlier in June, several wildfires remained active, including blazes in Riverside, Kern and San Diego, while fire officials warned that hotter and drier conditions are likely to bring above-average fire activity in the months ahead.

The changing pattern has prompted California fire authorities to move away from the term “fire season,” arguing that wildfire risk is no longer confined to late summer and autumn.

“It does back up the need for us to utilize the term peak ‘fire year’ rather than the antiquated ‘fire season’ that we used to use,” said David Acuna, a battalion chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

According to CAL FIRE, 2,584 wildfires have burned over 79,690 acres statewide so far this year, destroying 25 structures. No fatalities have been confirmed.

Officials said a combination of prolonged drought, rising temperatures and increasingly dry vegetation has made the state more vulnerable to fast-moving fires. Heavy vegetation growth from previous wet periods has also become fuel as plants dry out under hotter conditions.

–IANS

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