Three major wildfires in California have dozens of houses destroyed and thousands of people were forced to evacuate as the fires were fanned by temperatures above 95 degrees, officials said.

Firefighters battling the blazes, all in the mountains east of Los Angeles, took advantage of Wednesday’s cooler weather to slowly gain control.

California is only in the middle of its wildfire season, but the state has already seen nearly three times as much area burned as it will in all of 2023. The wildfires have threatened tens of thousands of homes and other buildings in Southern California after they gathered momentum over the weekend amid a heat wave that saw temperatures soar above 90 degrees.

No deaths have been reported, but at least a dozen people, mostly firefighters, have been treated for injuries, mostly caused by the heat, authorities said.

Governor Gavin Newsom sent National Guard troops to assist with the evacuations, and the White House said President Joe Biden was monitoring the situation.

The fire on the bridge

In the small community of Wrightwood, about 90 minutes outside Los Angeles, authorities pleaded with residents to flee the raging Bridge Fire, which has destroyed more than a dozen homes in the area. It is not yet known what caused the blaze, which is the third-largest in California this year.

Resident Erin Arias said she ran up the mountain when she was ordered to leave and did so, taking her passport and dog with her. On Wednesday, she and her husband dumped water on the roof of their surviving home. Their cat was gone, she said.

“It’s really scary,” Arias said, looking at the burnt embers of her neighbor’s house. “We’re really lucky.”

Climate scientist Daniel Swain of UCLA said the fire spread extraordinarily quickly across complex terrain, likely giving residents less time to evacuate than normal. Even seasoned firefighters were caught off guard.

The bridge fire “had to go uphill, downhill, through valleys, over new ridges and then back downhill again, all in one fire cycle, at least twice,” he said.

The fire at the airport

The Airport Fire, which was reportedly started by heavy equipment, has burned more than 35 square miles of land in Orange and Riverside counties. The fire was 5% contained Wednesday night, and cooler weather led to a “significant slowing” of the flames on Thursday, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Orange County Fire Chief Kevin Fetterman said the fire was difficult to fight because of the terrain, dry conditions and because some areas hadn’t burned in decades.

Eight firefighters battling the blaze were treated for injuries, Orange County Fire Chief Steve Concialdi said. Those injuries were primarily heat-related. One resident of the area was treated for smoke inhalation and another suffered burns, Concialdi said. Several homes in the affected area burned.

In El Cariso Village, a community of 250 people along Highway 74 in Riverside County, an Associated Press photographer saw at least 10 homes and several cars engulfed in flames.

Thousands of mandatory evacuation orders have been issued.

The Line Fire

In San Bernardino County, approximately 65,600 homes and buildings were threatened by the Line Fireand residents along the southern edge of Big Bear Lake were told to leave on Tuesday. Although firefighters initially managed to contain the blaze within the San Bernardino National Forest, winds began blowing it toward homes, prompting the first round of mandatory evacuation orders issued Saturday, according to CBS Los Angeles.

The fire blanketed the area in a thick cloud of dark smoke, providing shade for firefighters trying to beat the winds expected later Wednesday, said Fabian Herrera, a spokesman for those battling the Line Fire. The blaze was about 18% contained by Wednesday evening.

Justin Wayne Halstenberg34, of Norco, was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. A Norco man suspected of starting the Sept. 5 Line Fire was arrested and charged with arson, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. Officials did not specify what was used to start the fire.

Investigators collected evidence from the man’s vehicle and home indicating he may have been involved in setting other fires, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Wednesday.