Firefighters gain ground on 3 huge Southern California blazes

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Helped by cooler temperatures, firefighters gained ground Friday against three blazes in Southern California and authorities began scaling back evacuation orders that displaced thousands of people.

The largest blaze is the Bridge Fire east of Los Angeles, which has burned 81 square miles (210 square km), torched at least 33 homes and six cabins and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. The cause of the fire is not yet known. After days of burning without fire crews being able to stop its forward march, it was 3% contained on Friday.

“Firefighters made great progress on the ground, aided by aircraft to attack the fire aggressively 24 hours per day,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement about the blaze.

While firefighters have made significant progress, the three major wildfires that have ravaged the mountains east of Los Angeles, destroying dozens of homes, injuring a dozen people, and burning more than 100,000 acres (40,470 hectares), still pose significant threats to some communities.

California is entering the height of wildfire season and has already seen nearly three times as much acreage burn as during all of 2023.

Evacuation orders were being scaled back, including in parts of Big Bear where the Line Fire forced thousands of people to flee after authorities say a delivery driver purposely started the blaze on Sept. 5.

The fire has charred 59 square miles (153 square km) in the San Bernardino mountains where Southern California residents ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer. It was 21% contained as of Friday.

The Line Fire is burning through dense vegetation that grew after two back-to-back wet winters that included snowstorms that caused tree branches to break, leaving behind a lot of “dead and down fuel,” said Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Jed Gaines.

The Big Bear Zoo had to move all its animals to a zoo in the city of Palm Desert to protect them from the wildfires and escalating temperatures, zoo officials said.

The fires have threatened tens of thousands of homes and other structures across Southern California since they escalated during a triple-digit heat wave. Weekend forecasts called for temperatures that reached triple digits last weekend to drop to the 70s.

The cooler weather that started mid-week was helping firefighters slowly gain the upper hand in battling the blazes. No deaths have been reported, but at least a dozen people, mainly firefighters, have been treated for injuries, mostly heat-related, authorities said.

Jason Anderson, district attorney for San Bernardino County, said Thursday that nine arson-related charges have been filed against Justin Wayne Halstenberg, who is accused of starting the Line Fire.

Anderson said Halstenberg, 34, attempted to start three fires within an hour in the city of Highland. Two fires were extinguished by firefighters and a good Samaritan. Officials said the third fire that Halstenberg started became the Line Fire.

“This is particularly galling in a community that unfortunately over the last couple of years has dealt with the scourge of wildfires,” he told reporters, adding that the suspect’s vehicle has been linked to three areas where the fires were started.

Halstenberg is due to be arraigned in court on Friday. The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office didn't immediately respond to a Friday email from The Associated Press seeking information on an attorney for Halstenberg.

Halsternber's mother, Connie Halstenberg, told the Los Angeles Times that her son “did not light that fire.”

The full extent of the damage caused by the wildfires remains unclear but Anderson said at least one home has been destroyed by the blaze.

Further south, the Aiport Fire burning in Orange and Riverside counties has burned more than 37 square miles (96 square kilometers). The fire, which was reportedly sparked by workers using heavy equipment, was 8% contained Friday morning.

Ten firefighters and two residents were injured in the blaze, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. The fire has been difficult to tame because of the steep terrain and dry conditions — and because some areas hadn’t burned in decades. It has destroyed at least 27 cabins in the Holy Jim Canyon area, authorities said.

In northern Nevada, the worst danger appears to have passed near Reno where a wildfire on the Sierra’s eastern front forced 20,000 evacuations over the weekend. The blaze closed all schools for four days and threatened to burn over the top of the mountains into the Lake Tahoe basin.

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press reporters Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California, and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada contributed.

Smoke is seen from the advancing Line Fire through a car window in Mentone, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A firefighter douses flames in the perimeter of a property while battling the Bridge Fire Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

FILE - Kenny Rybak shovels snow around his car in Running Springs, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE - A truck drives along snow berms in Running Springs, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Fire Crews stand on property damaged by the Airport Fire Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows fires near Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Running Springs, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows fires in Running Springs, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Fire crews examine a property damaged by the Airport Fire Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A firefighter douses flames in the perimeter of a 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)

Matt Howe sifts through his partially damaged property after the Airport Fire swept through Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Matt Howe sifts through his partially damaged property after the Airport Fire swept through Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

FILE - Smoke from the Line Fire fills the air Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Running Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

Charred vehicles are left behind after the Airport Fire swept through Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in El Cariso Village, in unincorporated Riverside County, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

FILE - The Line Fire jumps Highway 330 as an emergency vehicle is driven past Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, near Running Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

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

Firefighting hand crews cut lines against the advancing Line Fire in Running Springs, Calif., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Manchester City’s stunning slump continued Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.

“We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.

Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.

City dropped to sixth in the standings — nine points below leader Liverpool, having played two games more. Villa climbed to fifth.

City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping, with Guardiola admitting last week that he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.

Defeat meant the once-dominant City is without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth-straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.

“We concede the goals we don’t concede in the past, we (don’t) score the goals we score in the past,” Guardiola said. “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.”

Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in the 2020-21 campaign, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed champion.

City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in '19-20, but its sixth defeat didn't come until the February of that campaign. Guardiola also lost six times in the league in his first season in English soccer in '16-17 and City finished third in the standings.

The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic against a dominant Villa. Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist.

Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.

Foden's goal in the third minute of added time came too late for City.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts after Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)