September 6, 2017

Over Labor Day weekend in southern California, the La Tuna wildfire expanded to become one of the largest fires in the history of the city of Los Angeles. The fire, burning in the Verdugo Mountains just north of downtown Los Angeles, has covered as much as 7,000 acres (2,830 hectares), consuming several houses and causing evacuations, injuries, and road closings. The bright hilltop flames could be seen throughout the giant metro area, which has roasted in 100 °F (38 °C) temperatures during an extended heat wave.

The La Tuna wildfire burns in the Verdugo Mountains in the eastern San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 1, 2017. Credit: Scott L (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

The fire began Friday night along a stretch of La Tuna Canyon Road and the 210 Freeway between Burbank, Glendale, and the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. More than 700 residents were forced to flee their homes, and the roads passing through the fire were closed, creating traffic headaches during the holiday weekend. There is no known cause for the fire, but investigators have seen no evidence of arson.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles County, allowing Mayor Eric Garcetti to use state and federal assistance. On Sunday, cooler temperatures and brief showers helped more than 1,000 firefighters contain some 30 percent of the massive La Tuna fire. Bulldozers and hand crews also helped by clearing brush and other fuel from the remaining perimeter of the fire. The 210 Freeway has since partially reopened and people have been allowed to return to their homes—with words of caution that heavy winds could cause the fire to spread out of control once again. Under current conditions, firefighters hope to completely contain the wildfire in the coming days.

In Riverside County east of Los Angeles, firefighters were battling another giant wildfire over the weekend. The 3,800-acre (1,540-hectare) Palmer brush fire broke out Saturday and forced more than 400 people from their homes. The recent heat wave in Los Angeles is not unique to the city, either, as record-setting temperatures have broiled Eureka, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland in northern California.

In 1961, the Bel Air fire burned 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares) and destroyed more than 480 homes in Los Angeles. In 2008, the Sayre fire consumed over 11,000 acres (4,450 hectares) and hundreds of buildings in Los Angeles.