Wildfires, propelled by an intense heatwave near Los Angeles, have forced residents to evacuate their homes on Tuesday.
The twin fires are just a few miles apart, moving in and around the Angeles National Forest. They are rapidly spreading, fueled by dry land and heavy winds. They are both listed at 0% contained as of early Tuesday. 1,000 homes have been evacuated so far. Horses and other animals have also been evacuated.
The two fires, known as the San Gabriel complex, are feared to merge in Los Angeles County. A fatal car crash on Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains began the first fire, the reservoir fire, at about 11:39 AM on Monday morning near Azusa. According to fire officials, more than 300 homes were evacuated. The second fire, the fish fire, began about one hour later near Brookridge Road and Opal Canyon Road in Duarte. Over 700 homes in Duarte were evacuated.
A red flag was issued for Southern California through Tuesday morning. Residents have been warned of temperatures that will remain in the triple digits in Los Angeles and stay in the 90s near the Sherpa fire, a week-old flame in Santa Barbara County.
On Monday night, authorities stated that most mandatory evacuations will be lifted Wednesday morning and nearly all by Saturday.
