CNN
—

Raging wildfires in California and Nevada have forced evacuations of thousands of homes, while meteorologists warn of record heat in the West in the coming days. There are currently 14 active wildfires burning in California, one of which is so intense that created its own weather pattern. Here’s the latest news:

• The Line Fire in California is huge: The wildfire burned 17,459 acres on Sunday after igniting Thursday in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains. The fire has more than quadrupled in size since Saturday morning. Authorities urged residents in several areas to flee as the massive blaze sent bright red flames and thick, billowing smoke into the sky. More than 600 firefighters are battling the wildfire, which was 0% contained as of Sunday morning, Cal Fire said. Three people were injured in the blaze, though officials have not released details on the extent of injuries.

Thunderstorms are causing “very erratic behavior” on the fire and vegetation is “critically dry,” the agency said Sunday. Smoke remains a concern for firefighters and residents, and afternoon thunderstorms could spark new ignitions.

“Firefighters are expected to encounter warm and dry conditions, along with thunderstorms, over the next few days,” Cal Fire said.

The fire prompted a smoke warning from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. As a result, the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District advised residents to stay indoors if possible, keep windows and doors closed, and limit outdoor activities.

A flash flood warning was in effect for Riverside and San Bernardino counties through Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service office in San Diego.

The storms, which are producing localised heavy rainfall, are located in the vicinity of the Line Fire. The warning means that flash flooding is occurring or expected and could cause significant damage. Landslides are possible, particularly in areas recently affected by fires.

Thunderstorms indicated by Doppler radar are producing heavy rainfall in the warned area at rates of 2.5 to 5 centimeters per hour.

• Line Fire creates its own weather: As it burns through acres of land, it creates its own weather in the form of pyrocumulus clouds. The clouds can create erratic winds that push the fire outward, spreading it further and challenging firefighters. If it is warm enough, the clouds can produce lightning and rain, called pyrocumulonimbus. They can reach heights of 50,000 feet and generate their own systems of thunderstorms.

• Thousands evacuated in California mountain communities: As flames approach dangerously close, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued mandatory evacuation orders for about 4,800 homes in the Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake areas. Hundreds more have been evacuated in the cities of Highland, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village and Angelus Oaks. “The Line Fire is very active and is spreading into susceptible fuels,” Cal Fire said. “There are currently 35,405 structures threatened, including single-family and multi-family homes, commercial buildings and other small structures.”

Firefighters have been successful in protecting homes from the flames, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua told CNN on Sunday.

“The fire department has been successful so far, even with the unpredictability of this fire, and we’re trying to keep it that way. We’re ready to stand and fight,” Pascua told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield.

He added that because of the unpredictability of the fire, all areas of the fire are a concern for firefighters. “We need to make sure we have crews on all sides of the fire that are ready to hold,” Pascua said.

• Bridge fire in Angeles National Forest: A fire has quickly grown to 200 acres in the Angeles National Forest, just north of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Several roads in the park have been closed, rangers said in a Facebook post.

• Boyles Fire Near Clearlake, California: Multiple structures are on fire near Clearlake, California, about 100 miles west of Sacramento. At least 30 structures are involved and about 4,000 residents have been displaced by the growing 190-acre (76-hectare) blaze, which Cal Fire says is 10 percent contained.

• State of emergency declared in California: Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County due to the Line Fire. He has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure the availability of essential firefighting resources, he said in a statement.

• State of emergency declared in Nevada: On Sunday, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency due to the fire, he announced on X.

• Wildfire in Nevada destroys buildings: The Davis Fire, a dangerous, wind-driven blaze south of Reno, has burned about 6,500 acres, damaged or destroyed 14 structures and is 0% contained as of late Sunday evening. Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue reported, “Heavy airpower and multiple agencies are working to stop this wind-driven wildfire.”

The fire has forced the evacuation of about 14,000 people from affected areas of Washoe County, and more than 6,000 residents are without power, according to a state of emergency.

“Gustling winds are forecast throughout the week,” said an update from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which added that customers currently without power should be prepared for extended outages and that those with power “should be prepared for possible additional power outages due to the dynamic nature of the fire.”

NV Energy said it had shut off power “to prevent further fires and protect emergency responders.” It also asked those who still had power and were near the fire to prepare for possible power outages.

“12,500 customers have power again, but 6,300 customers are still without power from tonight until September 9,” NV Energy said in a statement on social media.

• Scorching heat will further increase the misery in the region: Extreme heat warnings and advisories are in effect for Southern California, the Desert Southwest and the northern Great Basin. Temperatures in Southern California will range from 95 to 105 degrees — about 10 to 20 degrees above average for the region. An air quality warning has also been issued “due to the heat wave and elevated levels of fine particulate pollution from wildfire smoke,” according to the National Weather Service.

The Line Fire has grown more than 14-fold in size in just over 30 hours, from about 1,180 acres at 5 p.m. PT on Friday night to more than 17,200 acres by Saturday night.

As wildfires rage through the mountains of San Bernardino County, some residents are trying to keep the blaze from reaching their homes.

Highlands resident Brian Gano told CNN’s KCAL News that he, his wife and son tried to extinguish the flames.

“The flames were coming right at us because the wind was shifting,” Gano said. “I have a high-pressure line in my backyard.”

Another resident, Diya Hirpara, said she is stocking up on groceries in case she has to evacuate.

“It was pretty scary,” Hirpara said. “We’re just kind of on the edge, just waiting.”

Larissa Gonzalez said she was standing on Highway 18 in Lake Arrowhead on Saturday when she captured a storm rolling through the Line Fire. “There was a lot of thunder and lightning coming out of that flare; the winds picked up and pushed the fire over that ridge,” Gonzalez told CNN. She watched the storm for about an hour while parked in front of Rim of the World High School to see where it was going and to determine whether she should prepare to evacuate.

Visitors to the area were also affected by the smoke and flames.

Mark Weidhase told CNN on Sunday that he and his girlfriend decided to head to the mountains to escape the heat during their visit to Canada. As they left Big Bear and drove through Running Springs on Saturday, they came across the Line Fire. Weidhase said they pulled off Highway 330 to get a good look at the massive wildfire after noticing it was closed and they received evacuation notices. “I love the mountains, but not when they’re on fire,” he said.

Multiple agencies, including Cal Fire, San Bernardino County Fire and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, are working together to contain the fire. The American Red Cross has set up an evacuation shelter at a local church for residents seeking shelter from the fire.

California is having an active fire season. Wildfires have burned more than 838,000 acres in the state so far this year, compared to 255,144 acres this time last year, according to Cal Fire.

The chaos was compounded when two earthquakes struck near Ontario, California, within half an hour of each other on Saturday, sending shockwaves through the already troubled region.

The first quake was recorded at a magnitude of 3.5 at 10 a.m. local time, and the next was recorded at a magnitude of 3.9, according to U.S. Geological Survey data. The quake was felt by residents as far away as Los Angeles.

CNN’s Faith Karimi, Ashley R. Williams, Artemis Moshtaghian, Sarah Dewberry and Eric Zerkel contributed to this report.