Bridge Fire explodes in size, prompts evacuations and burns homes in SoCal

A raging wildfire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties has exploded to almost 50,000 acres, forcing residents to flee in a hurry and destroying dozens of homes.

The Bridge Fire has set over 51,000 acres ablaze and is 0% contained, officials said Thursday. Its rapid growth made it the largest active fire in the state, surpassing the Line Fire, which is also burning in San Bernardino and has scorched another 37,000 acres with 18% containment.

One evacuee described a harrowing scene on Tuesday as flames reached a neighborhood atop California’s Mt. Baldy. Looking at the mountain from afar, “it looked like a nuke went off, nothing but smoke," Liz Wenzel said.

The Bridge Fire started on Sunday afternoon, according to InciWeb. On Tuesday, the fire began to show "extreme fire behavior" and grew by over 13,000 acres, spreading north and northeast towards the communities of Wrightwood and Pinon Hills.

It threatened over 5,000 structures as of Thursday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. Numerous buildings and structures were already impacted, and damage to power infrastructure was reported. Nearly three dozen homes burned in the Mt. Baldy and Wrightwood areas, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said. Six cabins in the wilderness were also destroyed.

Some evacuees from Mt. Baldy had to leave their pets and important belongings behind. Many are left to wonder whether their homes are still standing.

"It was really hard watching our house being that close to that type of destruction," Andrew Corona told USA TODAY.

The fire could continue to grow as it moves to areas with "receptive fuels with little to no fire history," according to Cal Fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A wildfire's destruction: Webcam captures its own fiery demise from spread of Airport Fire- See timelapse footage

Mt. Baldy family with a newborn displaced from home

Andrew Corona and his fiancée were at the hospital on Monday afternoon for their 3-day-old's first pediatrician checkup when they got the alert that they needed to evacuate from their Mt. Baldy Village home, where they'd lived for just over a year. Instead of bringing their infant son home, the family and their 5-year-old went to stay at Corona's mother's house down the mountain.

"We had just finally finished unpacking the last couple of boxes, putting everything up and getting everything ready, building the cradle, building the crib. Finally excited to come home and introduce our son to our home and have him comfortable," Corona said.

They couldn't return home Monday to get any of their belongings, or his fiancee's beloved cat, Midna, he told USA TODAY.

"I told her, 'I promise you, I'm gonna get your cat,'" Corona said.

The next day, as the fire rapidly grew, Corona, 27, drove as close as he could until he reached firefighter barricades, and begged them to allow him to go rescue the cat. Eventually he was escorted back to his house. From his door, Corona said he could see the fire one street away.

"On our way up, I'm seeing something I've never seen before, just fires ablaze all along the mountain. I wasn't able to see because of the smoke. I couldn't breathe when I when I got out of the car to get into my house," he said.

Corona only had enough time to grab Midna and a bag of things for the baby. Corona said that as far as he knew by Wednesday evening, his home was still standing, but it's tough to get updates because power is down and signal is fleeting up the mountain.

He is praying not to get bad news, but the stress of the imminent threat to his home coupled with the sleepless nights of having a newborn has taken a toll.

"It's a blessing and a really hard time to go through," he said. "I'm so blessed to have my family. I have everything I need."

Looks ‘like a nuke went off’ atop California’s Mt. Baldy

Liz Wenzel can’t stop thinking about the pets she had to leave behind.

On Monday night, police parked their cars in Wenzel’s neighborhood atop California’s Mt. Baldy, blasted sirens and told residents they needed to leave immediately to escape the Bridge Fire.

One of Wenzel’s cats, Haku, got so “freaked out” during the evacuation that he hid inside a box spring mattress and wouldn’t come out, Wenzel told USA TODAY. She made sure to leave him plenty of food and water.

“To me, the animals are the most important,” Wenzel, 22, said. “You can replace a lot of stuff but you can’t replace a life. I am a big animal lover, so that’s all I can think about.”

She was able to grab her other cat. But she also could not bring the enclosures where her three pet snakes, Soul, Lilith and Ryuk live.

“This is our first time ever going through anything like this, so we didn’t know the severity of it, we were just hoping for the best, like, 'we’ll be home in a few days.'"

On Thursday, Wenzel, her boyfriend and their 2-year-old daughter Marceline were staying with family in Pomona, California, and did not know when they would be able to return to their home, which they believe has luckily been untouched by flames, Wenzel said.

“That’s the scary part – we have no idea at all,” Wenzel said.

Bridge Fire map

Evacuation orders

People in areas with evacuation orders are required to leave for their safety.

The following locations have been ordered to evacuate the area, according to Inciweb, as of Thursday morning:

• Pinon Hills from Wrightwood north to Highway 18
• Beekley Road west to Los Angeles County
• Lone Pine Canyon from the community of Wrightwood to Hwy
• 138/Lone Pine Canyon Road south to the forest
• The entire community of Wrightwood
• East Fork communities of Camp Williams Resort (café, mobile home park and campground) and the area of River Community near the resort
• Mt. Baldy Road, all residents north of the San Antonio Dam up to the Mt. Baldy Resort

The following areas have evacuation warnings:

Conditions may worsen in areas with evacuation warnings. People in the following areas will need to evacuate should conditions change, according to InciWeb, as of Thursday morning:

• San Antonio Heights and Upland from the foothills south to the I-210
• Pinon Hills from Wrightwood north to Hwy. 138 and Lebec Road west to Los Angeles County

Governor grants Fire Management Assistance Grant

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that the state secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant , FMAG, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, according to a statement posted to the governor's website.

The grant will "help ensure the availability of vital resources to Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties to suppress the Bridge Fire."

"California is battling multiple fast-moving wildfires in rugged locations in Southern California," said Newsom in a statement. "I’m thankful for the support the Biden-Harris Administration is providing to firefighter teams working round the clock to contain these challenging fires and safeguard the lives and property of Californians."

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn , follow her on X, formerly Twitter , Instagram and TikTok : @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com

Contributing: Victorville Daily Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bridge Fire explodes in size, prompts evacuations and burns homes in SoCal