Flames in the three largest wildfires burning in Southern California made little advance Saturday, Sept. 14, as firefighters took advantage of higher moisture in the vegetation to take charge of the blazes.
The acres burned and containment on the Bridge fire in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, the Airport fire in Orange and Riverside counties, and the Line fire in the San Bernardino Mountains were little changed from Friday.
Bridge fire
Firefighters on Saturday were continuing to battle the Bridge Fire, which spread from San Gabriel Canyon above Glendora into San Bernardino County this week and turned into the largest active wildfire in the state.
As of Saturday afternoon, the blaze was estimated at 53,783 acres — up from 52,801 acres on Friday evening — with 5% containment, primarily on the southwestern flank, according to Cal Fire. Containment was at 3% on Friday.
“Today the Bridge Fire had minimal movement … Resources were focused on the northern area of the fire where air operations dropped water as needed along the fire line near the communities of Big Pines and Wrightwood,” Cal Fire said in a Saturday morning update.
“Although the fire is slowly backing downhill on the east side, firefighters are not letting their guard down in Icehouse Canyon, where the rugged terrain still presents some challenges,” Cal Fire said. “Heat and active flames are also still present in the Mount Baldy Village area, and crews continue to prioritize structure protection.”
Fire officials said humidity is still low in higher elevations, but in lower elevations, the marine layer and higher humidity were helping crews make progress in strengthening both primary and secondary containment lines in the southeast, south and southwest flanks of the fire.
The blaze began at 3 p.m. Sunday near East Fork and Glendora Mountain roads, according to officials with the Angeles National Forest. The fire initially remained relatively small, but it exploded in size at the…
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