Southern California Wildfire Leads to Evacuations Near Redlands
10 September 2024 |
Southern California had been battling excessive heat warnings for over a week when the situation sparked a wildfire on September 5 and came to a head on Saturday, September 7, leading Governor Newsom to declare a state of emergency for San Bernardino County. California secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offer provisions and evacuation measures.
On Sunday, September 8, the Line Fire escalated, causing record-breaking heat, and continued into Monday morning when the fire was contained by 3%. The initial California Department of Forest & Fire Protection incident report shows 36,328 structures were threatened, with 211 fire engines and 1,855 total personnel on hand to combat the blaze. The fire continues to flame out of control, consuming 23,600 acres of land in San Bernardino County. Temperatures, which have been in the triple digits for the last week are expected to dip only to the 90s until spiking again to the low hundreds mid-week with some light breezes potentially expanding the fire’s reach.
The county school district has chosen to close schools till Tuesday in response to the uncertain conditions. It is currently unknown if Loma Linda University, which is located in San Bernardino County, will be affected by these closures. Many Adventist residents within the area have reported smoky conditions, with some based in the mountains having to evacuate. Camp Cedar Falls, a summer camp under the Southern California Conference, has reportedly had to evacuate. We are currently awaiting a response from the conference president on the state of the area and churches.
