On Tuesday, officials said a man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the Line Fire, a blaze burning in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles that now covers 85,000 acres and is 14 percent contained.

Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco, allegedly started the fire in the area of ​​Baseline Road and Alpin Street in the town of Highland on Sept. 5, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said. Officials have not disclosed how he started the fire.

He was arrested Tuesday at the Central Detention Center on arson charges and held on $80,000 bail.

The fire, which started on Sept. 5, has continued to spread through steep, difficult-to-access terrain and has impacted “key radio towers on Keller Peak,” impeding vital communications channels used to respond to the incident, according to the CalFire unit that covers San Bernardino County.

Power outages are expected in parts of Big Bear and Bear Valleys for public safety, fire officials said.

About 65,600 structures are threatened by the fire. Evacuation orders have been issued for the communities of Running Springs, Arrowbear Lake, Forrest Falls, Mountain Home Village and parts of Big Bear, along with more evacuation warnings.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday over the Line fire and said the state National Guard will assist in fighting the fire.

Fire at airport

Meanwhile, in Orange County, the Airport Fire is now more than 22,000 acres in size, according to the latest CalFire figures. It started Monday afternoon as a 7-acre wildfire in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon, south of Los Angeles.

As of Tuesday evening, the Orange County Fire Department reported that the fire was 0% contained and that there has been no damage to any homes or buildings so far.

The fire was initially reported to an airfield used by hobbyists for remote-controlled aircraft. On its website, a local flying club called Trabuco Flyers said no remote-controlled aircraft were flying when the fire started.

“The cause of the fire, as we announced yesterday, was an accident, unintentional, caused by heavy equipment operating in the vicinity of RC Airport,” OCFA Capt. Paul Holaday said at a news conference Tuesday.

Evacuation orders and warnings are in effect. “One of the challenges we have is competing with other fires in California,” Fire Chief Brian Fennessey said Tuesday, referring to the Bridge and Lines fires. “All of these fires are straining the limited resources that we have.”

On Tuesday, Newsom’s office said it had mobilized nearly 6,000 troops on the ground and hundreds of fire engines, 51 helicopters and 141 water trucks to battle the state’s 16 active wildfires.

Davis Fire

In neighboring Nevada, the Davis Fire has also caused chaos, including in the Big Bear area, which has already been hit by the Line Fire. The blaze burned more than 5,600 acres as of Tuesday evening and was 31% contained.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest warned that “extreme fire conditions” are expected Wednesday due to high winds “that could lead to rapid fire growth.” The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for a “Particularly Dangerous Condition” from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT for the Sierra Front, including the area of ​​the fire.

The fire started Saturday around Davis Creek Regional Park, just south of Reno, and destroyed much of the timber and brush. Tuesday was the last day of high temperatures around the fires in Nevada and Southern California, and a cooling flow from the Pacific Ocean is expected on Wednesday.