LOS ANGELES _ The worst of this week's heat wave hit Southern California on Friday, sparking several brush fires, including one that was burning numerous homes and other structures in San Diego County.
The most serious of the fires was burning out of control along Interstate 8 near Alpine. The fire jumped through the community of West Willows, engulfing buildings and also burning along a traffic median on the side of the freeway.
Authorities said that more than 350 acres had been burned and that hundreds of people had been evacuated. Officials were still trying to tally the exact number of homes lost. But video from Alpine showed numerous homes and other structures burning as winds pushed the fire through foothill communities.
Resident Enrique Camargo said he ran toward the fire area to check its progress after the evacuation order was made. As he checked on the fire, he said, his wife was home packing the car.
He said was still not sure if they would follow through with evacuating.
"Let's see what happens," Camargo said.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said immediate evacuations were needed in the Highland Mobile Home Park and the surrounding community.
As of 2 p.m., the California Highway Patrol shut down eastbound Interstate 8 lanes. Other road closures included the off-ramp at Willows Road and the on-ramp at Tavern Road.
Another fire forced evacuations near Camp Pendleton.
The blaze broke out about 11:30 a.m. and an hour later was continuing to burn in the Mainside area between Santa Margarita and De Luz, the Marine Corps tweeted.
Officials said evacuations were in place for Lake O'Neill, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the De Luz Child Development Center. Those displaced were being sent to a McDonald's on base.
A truck fire along the Cajon Pass spread to nearby brush, threatening structures in the Devore Heights area, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The fire quickly grew to 100 acres and is burning off Highway 15 and Kenwood Avenue, north of San Bernardino. Two outside lanes of the 215 Freeway, north of the 15 Freeway, have been closed as a result.
Firefighters also handled smaller blazes in the Angeles National Forest, Montecito Heights, Sylmar and Pacoima near the Hansen Dam.
Even before noon, several places broke heat records for the day, including downtown Los Angeles, which hit 95 degrees, Burbank and Van Nuys. The San Diego County community of Ramona reached its highest recorded temperature _ 112 degrees _ by 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
It was expected to get hotter in the afternoon, with the National Weather Service forecasting the high in downtown L.A. to reach 106, shattering the July 6 record of 94 degrees. Woodland Hills hit 115 degrees around 1 p.m. Forecasters were also expecting a record-breaking 115 degrees in Van Nuys and 106 in Long Beach.
"We expect today to be the hottest day," said Keily Delerme, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Even coastal areas are expected to see temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s.
For Luz Lyle, the heat wave already has proved to be unbearable. Standing by a bus stop in downtown early Friday, when the temperature hovered around 77 degrees, she said she was happy to be going to work because her office has air conditioning.
The hot days this week have forced her to hand over water guns to her children. Sometimes, she joined in on the water fights while blasting the air conditioner inside her home.
"All day long," Lyle, 53, said. "All night long."
Inside downtown L.A.'s Grand Central Market around noon, hordes of people made their way through the various stalls. The clamoring sound of plates and pots echoed while giant fans stationed along the aisles blew cool air. Tourists stopped by one of the fans for a moment, hoping for a respite from the heat.
Outside, Allyson Schaefer was applying sunscreen while the rest of the crowd ordered hot food _ and hot coffee. It was 90 degrees.
"I just have to get through today," Schaefer, 25 said, as she sat under the shade of a large red umbrella.
Schaefer, who is from Texas, lamented the timing of her Southern California visit. She said she came to visit a friend _ not to experience a heat wave. On Saturday, she hopes to find refuge in San Diego. Until then, she said, she'll stick to her plan.
"Drink lots of water and put on sunscreen," she said.
The dry heat raises the danger of new fires sprouting throughout the region. A red flag warning will be in effect from Friday night through Saturday, with the most at-risk areas in the foothills and mountains.
"You have very dry conditions and a north wind," Delerme, the meteorologist, said. "As the wind goes down hill, it dries it more and makes it warmer. That's why it's such an extreme event."
Single-digit humidity paired with dry fuels also create the possibility of "extreme fire behavior," she added.
"If there's a fire, it won't take long for it to spread out," she said. "It's just going to be dry."
Los Angeles has a network of cooling centers for people who lack access to air conditioning and need a place to escape dangerous, higher-than-normal temperatures. Recreation and Parks facilities _ such as recreation centers, museums and senior centers _ as well as libraries will be available as cooling centers during regular hours, city officials said.
"Extreme heat can be dangerous _ especially for young people and seniors," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "When temperatures rise this high, our libraries, recreation centers and senior centers give Angelenos who need to escape the heat a friendly, welcoming, safe place to stay cool and healthy."
Although temperatures in Yolo and Napa counties are expected to reach the low 90s Friday, fire officials said Friday's higher humidity levels will help firefighters battle the County fire, which has burned 88,375 acres and destroyed nine structures. The blaze is 37 percent contained.
"We expect temperatures to max out at about 92 degrees, with humidity at 19 percent to 25 percent later this afternoon," said Anthony Brown, a spokesman with Cal Fire. "That helps us out because with the humidity level up, the vegetation doesn't dry out."
Wearing heavy gear, firefighters can quickly become exhausted working 12- to 24-hour shifts. Brown said the slightly lower temperatures Friday will "help with the fatigue of firefighters" before the heat picks up Saturday.
Thousands of firefighters are currently assigned to the County fire. Meanwhile, the Pawnee fire, which has burned 15,000 acres in Lake County, is 92 percent contained.
A dip in temperatures allowed crews to make significant gains on containing both blazes, fire officials said.
The heat in the Sacramento Valley could reach triple digits over the weekend before dropping early next week, the National Weather Service said. A similar drop is forecast in Southern California, where temperatures are expected to fall by about 10 degrees in Los Angeles by Sunday.
