A fast-moving brush fire erupted Friday afternoon in a thinly populated stretch of Los Angeles County, triggering evacuation orders for residents in the area.
According to the LA County Fire Department, the fire ignited around 1 p.m. in a remote high desert region located about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. Dangerously dry conditions and extreme heat fueled the blaze, with temperatures in the area climbing to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
By Friday evening, the fire had burned through approximately 2,700 acres (1,092 hectares), according to Angeles National Forest officials posting on the social media platform X. The number of structures threatened by the fire has not yet been confirmed.
To assist those forced from their homes, the American Red Cross established an emergency shelter at a YMCA located in Los Angeles County.
The community closest to the fire’s eastern edge is Piñon Hills, a census-designated area in San Bernardino County with a population of around 7,200 people. By Friday evening, portions of that community were placed under an evacuation warning.
The wildfire is unfolding as a widespread heat wave descends on much of the United States this weekend. Meteorologists say an unusually powerful and persistent heat dome is responsible, pushing temperatures 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (8 to 14 degrees Celsius) above normal in some regions — conditions that are significantly elevating wildfire danger across drought-affected parts of the country.
