Bridge Fire in California's Angeles National Forest grows to 3,000 acres, evacuations and road closures in place
A brush fire burning in the Angeles National Forest that began Sunday afternoon, continues to grow Monday and remains 0% contained with evacuations in place. The Bridge Fire was last reported to be at 800 acres as of Sunday evening and grew to 2,996 acres less than a day later.
The blaze was first reported at around 3 p.m.Sunday near the area of East Fork Road and Glendora Mountain Road in the San Gabriel Canyon area, according to a post on X from the Angeles National Forest.
Road closures and evacuations
As Los Angeles County Fire Department crews worked to extinguish the flames, East Fork Road at Highway 39 was closed, as well as Glendora Mountain Road and Glendora Ridge Road.
In order to avoid vehicle congestion in the area, California Highway Patrol officials closed Highway 39 at the mouth of the canyon.
Because of the fire and the potential for growth, all forest visitors were ordered to evacuate the area, ANF officials said.
At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation order for the communities of Camp Williams and River Community.
More evacuation orders were issued on Monday, impacted those living north of the San Antonio Dam up to the Mt. Baldy Resort, as well as Baldy Village from the dam to Baldy Resort, county officials said. Residents were advised to use Mt. Baldy Road to evacuate and not Glendora Ridge Road, which remains closed.
Firefighters hoping to prevent spread
Early Sunday evening, crews reported that the fire had consumed 800 acres and was being attacked both from the ground and from above by water-dropping aircraft.
At the same time, they said that they were "preparing to make a stand to hold containment on Glendora Ridge Road."
As of Sunday, no injuries were reported and no structures had been damaged by the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is the second fire of considerable size to spark in Southern California in recent days as the 17,000+ acre Line Fire continues to burn in the San Bernardino Mountains. That blaze more than doubled overnight, prompting thousands of residents to flee from their homes as evacuation orders were issued by county officials.
The two fires are separated by about 60 miles by air, drawing a large response from multiple departments throughout the region, which is also dealing with the worst heat wave of the year.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.