Aug. 15--With a heat wave rolling across the Southland, firefighters battled two fast-moving fires Saturday as residents braced for temperatures that could reach 108 degrees in some areas.
A wildfire that sparked to life Friday several miles north of Glendora grew nearly 40% overnight to 2,500 acres, jumping across a highway and destroying three cabins and one outhouse in a camping area, officials said. The fire, called the Cabin fire, is currently 0% contained.
More than 400 firefighters and several helicopters and air tankers are battling the blaze, said Joel Gonzalez, spokesman with the U.S. Forest Service. Five campgrounds have been evacuated, and a section of Highway 39 between Sierra Madre and Highway 2 has been closed for the rest of the weekend.
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Five firefighters were injured battling the blaze, suffering from dehydration, heat exhaustion, smoke inhalation and one bee sting.
A separate blaze named the Rustic fire that ignited Friday in the Simi Valley area burned nearly 190 acres before firefighters fully contained it Saturday morning, said Capt. Scott Dettorre of the Ventura County Fire Department.
Evacuations and road closures have been lifted, and no buildings were damaged. Two firefighters were injured battling the blaze, Dettore said.
The causes of both fires are still under investigation.
High temperatures and fires are a dangerous combination, and it's also extremely dry, with single-digit humidity predicted for some inland areas.
But relatively calm winds this weekend have helped temper the dangerous fire conditions. The only gusts have come from a typical sea breeze that blows in from the ocean at around 20 miles an hour, according to the National Weather Service, and the winds are expected to stay calm this weekend.
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The main danger from this weekend's heat is to the firefighters themselves, who are at greater risk for heat exhaustion and dehydration, Detorre said.
Temperatures are expected to peak after 2 p.m. Saturday, said Scott Sukup, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The beaches will see temperatures in the 80s, but valley, foothill and mountain communities will likely see temperatures of more than 100 degrees. Temperatures in downtown Los Angeles could reach 95 degrees.
The agency has issued excessive heat warnings for the San Gabriel Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley and the San Fernando Valley. The western San Fernando Valley will be the hottest, Sukup predicts.
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