Over 11,000 people in Southern California are under evacuation orders after the Line Fire grew to over 17,400 acres. By Sunday afternoon, flames had advanced to densely populated areas. No deaths had been reported as of this writing, with fire officials saying the blaze remained at zero containment. See current status and maps.
The blaze began Thursday and was accelerated by an intense heat wave, with temperatures in the triple digits and humidity in the low teens in inland areas like San Bernardino. Conditions are expected to persist at least through today.
Some reported seeing pyrocumulus clouds in the area—a sign the fire was intense enough to create its own micro-weather system. The phenomenon occurs when heat from burning vegetation rapidly rises into a cooler atmosphere, causing clouds, turbulent winds, and in some cases, lightning.
Comments