Heat wave challenges to fire crews

LOS ANGELES — An intensifying heat wave stretching from the West Coast to New Mexico threatened to make the fight against Southern California wildfires more difficult Monday.

Firefighters made some progress against a blaze putting hundreds of homes and popular seaside campgrounds near Santa Barbara at risk when overnight winds pushed flames into previously burned areas. But officials warned of high heat, low humidity and gusty winds through Tuesday for the rugged coastal slopes.

The blaze was more than halfway contained after burning more than 12 square miles since Wednesday, but 270 structures are still threatened.

Another wildfire was growing near a small town in the California desert close to the Mexico border. It surged to nearly 3 square miles amid triple-digit temperatures and forced the evacuation of about 75 people from Potrero, a ranching community a few miles north of Tecate, Mexico, and about 40 miles southeast of San Diego.

Three firefighters suffered heat-related injuries and were taken to a hospital for evaluations.

“We’re expecting to have pretty significant fire activity today,” said Capt. Kendal E. Bortisser of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Other blazes burned wide swaths across Arizona and New Mexico, where firefighters also will face blistering temperatures Monday.

In central New Mexico, a 28-square-mile fire that erupted last week and destroyed 24 homes in the Manzano Mountains south of Albuquerque was largely uncontained. But higher humidity overnight allowed crews to strengthen lines around the fire and keep a lookout for hot spots where flames could jump the line.