Wildfires in Southern California torch dozens of homes and force thousands to evacuate

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Three major wildfires in Southern California's mountains east of Los Angeles torched dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

At least a dozen people, mainly firefighters, were treated for injuries that were mostly heat-related, authorities said. One person from Orange County was burned. No deaths have been reported.

The wildfires have been endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures across the region after they sprung to life during a triple-digit heat wave over the weekend. Other major fires were burning in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people had to flee a blaze outside Reno.

In the tight-knit community of Wrightwood that sits on the Pacific Crest Trail, authorities implored residents to evacuate the exploding Bridge Fire, which burned more than a dozen homes in the area.

Resident Erin Arias said she was racing up the mountain when she got the sudden order to leave and did, grabbing her passport and dog. On Wednesday, she and her husband doused water on the roof of their still-standing home. Their cat was missing, she said.

“It’s absolutely scary,” Arias said, looking at the burned embers of her neighbor’s home. “We’re really lucky.”

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said the fire moved extraordinarily fast across complex terrain, likely giving Wrightwood residents less time to evacuate than usual and surprising even seasoned fire officials.

The Bridge Fire “had to go up mountain sides, burn down slope, jump across valleys, burn across new ridges, and then make it down slope again at least two other times in effectively one burning period,” he said.

California is only now heading into the teeth of the wildfire season but already has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023. The White House said President Joe Biden was monitoring the wildfires in the West and urged residents to heed state and local evacuation orders.

Cooler temperatures were expected to potentially start tempering fire activity as the week progresses.

The full extent of the damage was not immediately known as firefighters battled multiple fires simultaneously. The three blazes include:

— The Airport Fire in Orange County that burned over 35 square miles (91 square kilometers). The fire was 5% contained Wednesday night and was reportedly sparked by heavy equipment operating in the area. Orange County Fire Capt. Steve Concialdi said eight firefighters were injured, mostly heat-related. One resident suffered smoke inhalation and another burns, he said. Several homes burned in El Cariso Village.

— The Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest that was 18% contained Wednesday and charred 57 square miles (148 square kilometers). The blaze injured three firefighters. Authorities said it was caused by arson in Highland. A suspect was arrested Tuesday.

— The Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles that grew tenfold in a day, burning 78 square miles (202 square kilometers) and torching at least 33 homes and six cabins and forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. It was zero percent contained Wednesday night.

With so many fires raging at once, crews were at their limits, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

“As a region, we’re currently at drawdown for fire personnel and resources,” he said, adding that authorities have requested assistance from Northern California and nearby states.

Gov. Gavin Newsom sent National Guard troops in to help with evacuations.

In El Cariso Village, a community of 250 along Highway 74 in Riverside County, an Associated Press photographer saw at least 10 homes and several cars engulfed in flames.

Kevin Fetterman, Orange County Fire Authority Incident Commander, said the blaze has been difficult to tame because of the terrain and dry conditions and because some areas hadn't burned in decades.

More than 5,500 homes in Riverside County were under evacuation orders, affecting more than 19,000 residents. Several recreational cabins and structures in the Cleveland National Forest were damaged.

In San Bernardino County, some 65,600 homes and buildings were under threat by the Line Fire, and residents along the southern edge of Big Bear Lake were told to leave Tuesday.

The Line Fire blanketed the area with a thick cloud of dark smoke, which provided shade for firefighters trying to get ahead of winds expected later Wednesday, said Fabian Herrera, a spokesperson for the Line Fire.

A man from the town of Norco suspected of starting the Line Fire on Sept. 5 was arrested and charged with arson, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said. Officials did not specify what was used to start the fire.

Investigators collected evidence from the delivery driver’s vehicle and home that suggests he could have been involved in starting other fires, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Wednesday.

On the Nevada border with California near Reno, the Davis Fire forced thousands of people to evacuate over the weekend, destroyed one home and a dozen structures and charred nearly 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of timber and brush along the Sierra Nevada’s eastern front.

Rich Meyr and Evelyn Kelley were the first arrivals at an evacuation center set up Wednesday at a recreation center in south Reno. Both said they refused to evacuate previous fires but decided to play it safe this time.

“My son’s wedding is Saturday. I threw all the flowers and gowns in the RV and we left. It looks like a garden shop inside that RV,” Kelley said. “But who wants to burn alive?”

More than 600 firefighters kept the blaze from growing Wednesday despite high winds that grounded all aircraft that had dropped retardant on the flames over the past two days. The fire was about 30% contained Wednesday night.

Elsewhere, a Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage near Loveland, Colorado.

Thayer reported from El Cariso Village, Taxin from Santa Ana, California, and Rodriguez from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed.

This story corrects the name of the town along Highway 74; it is El Cariso Village, not El Cariso.

Rich Meyr, 82, left, and Evelyn Kelley, 77, sit at an evacuation center for those in the path of regional wildfires, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Reno, Nevada. The two were the first — and so far only - arrivals at a new evacuation center set up Wednesday at a recreation center in south Reno where the Red Cross was prepared to handle 100 or more people if necessary. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)

Firefighters battle the Airport Fire, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Firetrucks are seen around a building as scorched trees smolder during the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Firefighters hose down hot spots on a fire-ravaged property while battling the Bridge Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A Riverside County Fire Dept. firefighter monitors for hot spots overlooking Lake Elsinore after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A firefighter stands over burned landscape Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, near El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A fire-ravaged landscape surrounds a property after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Members of Riverside County Cal Fire walk up a hillside while battling the Airport Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A fire-ravaged property is seen after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A fire-ravaged property is seen after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A fire-ravaged property is seen after the Airport Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A reporter takes cell phone images of the devastation left behind by the Airport Fire, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Smoke from California wildfires obscures the view of casinos northbound on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nev., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

A firefighter hoses down hot spots on a fire-ravaged property while battling the Bridge Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A vehicle and surrounding forest are burned after the Bridge Fire swept through Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Fire crews battle the Bridge Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

Firefighters hose down hot spots on a fire-ravaged property while battling the Bridge Fire, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A firefighter hoses down hot spots on a fire-ravaged property while battling the Bridge Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Members of Riverside County Cal Fire monitor for hot spots while battling the Airport Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside, County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Vehicles burn as the Airport Fire sweeps through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Two firefighters watch the Bridge Fire burn near a structure in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Scorched trees smolder during the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A firefighter battles the Airport Fire Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Horses stand near stables consumed by the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Airport Fire is reflected on Lake Elsinore, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Lake Elsinore, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A firefighter battles the Airport Fire Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Two firefighters watch as the Bridge Fire burns near homes in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Firefighters are illuminated by the glow of the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Firefighters watch as the Bridge Fire burns near homes in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Airport Fire burns on a mountain top Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A fire-ravaged property is left behind by the Airport Fire Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

A firefighter is silhouetted against the glow from the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Firefighters establish a defense perimeter around a house threatened by the Bridge Fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Vehicles sit destroyed after the Airport Fire swept through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Mailboxes are still standing after the Airport Fire swept through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A person moves horses into a trailer as the Airport Fire closes in Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

The Airport Fire surround a city limits sign Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

A firefighter hoses down a vehicle after the Airport Fire swept through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Charred vehicles sit on a property after the Airport Fire swept through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A structure burns after the Airport Fire swept through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A destroyed car sits as structures burn after the Airport Fire swept through Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

The Airport Fire burns a car and structure Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A fire engine is driven past a fire-engulfed structure as crews battle the Airport Fire Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

The Airport Fire crests over a mailbox Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A plum of smoke created by the Airport Fire rises over a group playing soccer Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in a view from Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

Smoke rises from the Airport Fire as Cizar Moon works out at the driving range at Eagle Glen Golf Club in Corona, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

Ken Motonishi walks his dogs as the Airport Fire burns near Porter Ranch in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Firefighters monitor the Airport Fire as it advances Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

The Airport Fire crests over a structure Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A plume of smoke created by the Airport Fire is seen on a mountain top Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Temescal Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Smoke from the Airport Fire fills the air Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A vehicle burns from the Airport Fire Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Firefighters monitor the Airport Fire from a ridge near Porter Ranch in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

A firefighter battles the Airport Fire, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy" Combs was arrested late Monday in New York, where he faces a sealed criminal indictment, prosecutors announced late Monday.

Details of the charges weren't immediately announced by prosecutors, but the hip-hop mogul has faced a stream of allegations by women in recent months who accused him of sexual assault.

The U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Damian Williams, said in a statement that federal agents arrested Combs. “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”

Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement saying: “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

He added that Combs had gone to New York last week in anticipation of the charges being brought.

“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said.

Combs was arrested in a Manhattan hotel lobby and is in federal custody, said a person familiar with the arrest who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The criminal charges are a major but not unexpected takedown of one of the most prominent producers and most famous names in the history of hip-hop.

The federal investigation of the 58-year-old Combs was revealed when Homeland Security Investigations agents served simultaneous search warrants and raided Combs' mansions in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25.

His defense attorney Aaron Dyer the day after the raids called them “a gross use of military-level force,” said the allegations were “meritless,” and said Combs was “innocent and will continue to fight" to clear his name.

Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop battles of the 1990s as the partner and producer of the Notorious B.I.G., who was shot and killed in 1997. But like many of those who survived the era, his public image had softened with age into a genteel host of parties in Hollywood and the Hamptons, a fashion-forward businessman, and a doting father who spoiled his kids, some of whom lost their mother in 2018.

But a different image began emerging in November, when his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for sexual abuse with stories of a steady stream of sex workers in drug-fueled settings where some of those involved were coerced or cajoled into sex.

In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape. Her suit also alleged Combs engaged in sex trafficking by “requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and by engaging in “harboring and transportation of Plaintiff for purposes of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion.”

It also said he compelled her to help him traffic male sex workers Combs would force Cassie to have sex with while he filmed.

The suit was settled settled the following day, but its reverberations would last far longer. Combs lost lingering allies, supporters and those reserving judgment when CNN in May aired a leaked video of him punching Cassie, kicking her and throwing her on the floor in a hotel hallway.

The following day, in his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began, Combs posted a social media video apologizing, saying “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m disgusted now.” Cassie’s lawsuit was followed by at least a half-dozen others in the ensuing months.

In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.

Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.

Another woman who filed a lawsuit, April Lampos, said she was a college student in 1994 when she met Combs and a series of “terrifying sexual encounters” with Combs and those around him began that lasted for years.

Combs and his attorneys denied nearly all of the lawsuits’ allegations.

While authorities did not publicly say that the lawsuits set off the criminal investigation, Dyer said when the warrants were served that the case was based on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Cassie and Lampros did.

As the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs became one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades Along with the Notorious B.I.G. he worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

Combs’ roles in his businesses beyond music — including lucrative private-label spirits, a media company and the Sean John Fashion line — took major hits when the allegations arose.

The consequences were even greater when the leaked beating video emerged. Howard University cut ties with him, and he returned his key to the city of New York at the request of the mayor.

Dalton reported from Los Angeles.

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)