California brushfire
Inland California areas bracing for 115 degrees as records tumble
A firefighter battles a brushfire in Burbank, Calif., on Saturday. Several hundred firefighters worked to contain a blaze that chewed through brushy mountains.
The Western United States baked through the unofficial end of summer, as temperatures in some parts threatened to peak Saturday at levels not seen in decades and the wilting heat challenged crews battling wildfires across the region, including one that grew to become the largest in the history of Los Angeles.
Areas inland from the San Francisco Bay Area could reach 115 degrees, a temperature last seen in 1950, forecasters said. San Francisco already broke a record for Sept. 2 by noon, reaching 94 degrees a day after setting an all-time high of 106 degrees.
The heat was so extreme that the Bay Area Rapid Transit system was running trains slower than normal to help engineers spot any warped tracks before hitting them.
It also created difficulties for crews fighting a fire that chewed through brush-covered mountains just north of downtown Los Angeles.
Several hundred firefighters worked to contain the blaze, which prompted mandatory or voluntary evacuations for 730 homes in Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale.
No injuries have been reported, and one home has burned, officials said. At nearly 8 square miles, the fire had charred more land than any other in L.A. history, Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
It burned in the same area of a June wildfire that came perilously close to hillside homes.
Resident Tracy Goldman said flames were about 200 feet from her house — where the earlier fire burned across the street.
“It’s very unsettling,” she said as she watched, already having packed her car in case officials ordered her street to evacuate.