This past Monday, as a result of scorching temperatures in California and Arizona, two new wildfires have broken out near Los Angeles suburban areas, causing many people to flee from their homes.
As the heat wave blanketing areas of the Southwest appears to be ongoing, wildfires have continued to erupt and rage across Southern California, into parts of Arizona and Nevada since last week.
A Los Angeles City Fire Department helicopter flies over one of two wildfires in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa, California, June 20, 2016. (REUTERS/Gene Blevins)
The fires in the Southern California region have been scorching the area since last Wednesday.
Large portions of the California forests are conducive to burning as they tend to be dry and full of spruce and fir trees. The pine needles on these trees burn quickly and hot, fueling the fires and enabling them to consume massive amounts of forest.
According to ABC News, one of the latest two fires in California started because of a car crash on one of the state’s many highways, and the other has resulted in numerous evacuations as it looms close to suburban homes.
A fire crew takes shelter behind an engine as the Sherpa Fire advances at El Capitan State Beach in Santa Barbara, California, in this handout photo released to Reuters June 16, 2016. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department/Handout via Reuters)
As these two new fires continue to burn, there is a growing fear that the two may merge into one as they draw closer. Together the newest Los Angeles fires have covered seven square miles and if they were to combine their collective strength could cause large amounts of damage.
However, while these fires continue to burn, winds have shifted so that the flames are no longer being pushed toward suburban homes, but are instead being drawn back over land that has already been burned. This has given firefighters the opportunity to redouble their efforts at containment.
Ongoing fires include those in Santa Barbara, which has charred more than 12 square miles since Wednesday, and in Potrero, a small ranching community about 40 miles southeast of San Diego.
Firefighters battle a wildfire in temperatures well over 100F as it burns near Potrero, California, June 20, 2016. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
Fox News reported Monday that officials have been telling citizens affected by the heat wave to stay inside and refrain from strenuous activity. Officials have also warned citizens to stay clear of the wildfires as firefighters attempt to contain and put them out.