Heat dome expected to push U.S. temperatures 15–25 degrees above normal
Evacuation orders were issued Friday afternoon for a sparsely populated area of Los Angeles County as a brush fire ignited under dry, hot conditions in a remote high desert region about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire sparked around 1 p.m., with temperatures in the area soaring to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
The blaze had grown to about 2,700 acres by evening, Angeles National Forest officials said. It remains unclear how many buildings are threatened by the fire.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter at a YMCA in Los Angeles County for residents forced from their homes. The nearest town to the east is Piñon Hills, a census-designated community of roughly 7,200 people in San Bernardino County. Parts of Piñon Hills were under an evacuation warning by Friday evening.
Most of the U.S. is entering a heat wave this weekend caused by an unusually strong and long-lasting heat dome that will add to an already high wildfire risk this year in many drought-stricken regions, according to the Associated Press. Temperatures are expected to be 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (8 to 14 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal in some areas.