Thousands of people are under mandatory evacuation orders because of the fast-spreading, out-of-control wildfires in southern California.
The Line Fire is also threatening thousands of homes, businesses and other structures in San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles.
The wildfire, which started on Thursday, spread rapidly on Saturday night, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.
The fire on the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest has grown to 17,459 hectares (27 sq miles) as of Sunday afternoon and is reported to be 0% contained.
It is currently the fifth largest active wildfire in California, after quadrupling in size on Saturday.
On Sunday morning, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation orders for residents of Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake.
That area has a total population of more than 6,000, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
The communities of Green Valley Lake, Cedar Glen, Lake Arrowhead, Crestline and Valley of Enchantment have been told they may have to evacuate immediately.
Fire officials say 35,405 structures are threatened by the fire, including single-family homes, commercial buildings and other “small structures”.
“The flames were going up to us because the wind was gone,” Highland resident Brian Gano, who was trying to put out the flames with his wife and son, told KCAL News.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Officials said the current weather conditions were “creating erratic behavior on the Fire Line”, and that the region was extremely dry.
Smoky skies pose a challenge to aircraft and limit their access to parts of the fire.
Three firefighters were injured fighting the fire.
Hot and dry conditions mixed with thunderstorms are expected to continue to challenge firefighters over the next few days.
Dangerous heat is expected across the US southwest and southern California early next week.
The number of summer fires in northern and central California increased fivefold from 1996 to 2021 compared to the previous 24-year period, what scientists say was caused to human-caused climate change.
Each wildfire cannot automatically be linked to climate change. Science is complex and human factors such as how we manage land and forests also have an impact.
But scientists say climate change is making weather conditions like heat and drought more likely to trigger wildfires.
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