Newsom sends national guard to fight major fire in southern California

The California National Guard was deployed on Tuesday to help fight one of three major fires in southern California, which comes as the region fights off a triple-digit heat wave.

State officials have reported that the Line Fire in San Bernardino county, the Airport Fire in Orange County, and the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles County are spreading rapidly due to being fueled by dry vegetation, according to ABC News.

A total of three people have been injured in the fires so far, including two firefighters who were treated for heat related incidents. One civilian was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation during the Airport Fire.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said the guard were deployed to help with the Line Fire, which is only 5% contained as of Tuesday afternoon. The Line Fire is the oldest fire of the three, having broken out last week.

"We're pouring resources into this incident aggressively by deploying more air and ground support through the California National Guard," Newsom said in a statement. "This is on top of nearly 2,000 firefighters, nearly 200 engines, and air assets we already have tackling this fire. California stands with these communities and has their backs."

The cause of the Line Fire is still under investigation, but the cause of the Airport Fire has been labeled as "unintentional." 

The National Guard deployment comes as the Line Fire threatens 65,600 structures, including homes and commercial properties. Nearly 10,000 structures were told to evacuate, and 56,000 are under evacuation warnings, but no buildings have been destroyed or damaged so far.

Newsom said that 80 troops split into four 20-person teams to fight fires and one military police company have been sent to help with traffic control in San Bernardino County. But four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters for water bucket dropping operations and two C-130 aircraft with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems have also been deployed to help combat the fire.

The smallest blaze is the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles county, which has engulfed 4,178 acres as of Tuesday afternoon. The Bridge Fire is located near Azusa, California, and broke out Sunday afternoon. Evacuations have been ordered for a mobile home park, campgrounds and a small river community, and the fire is 0% contained so far.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.