Evacuations for remote homes near wildfire northeast of LA

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Evacuation orders were in place Monday for remote homes near a wildfire that flared up over the weekend in mountains northeast of Los Angeles, authorities said.

The Sheep Fire broke out Saturday not far from Wrightwood near the Pacific Crest Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.

The blaze saw renewed growth Sunday afternoon and by nighttime had scorched about 1.5 square miles (3.88 square km) of pine trees and dry brush, officials said.

“Law enforcement is going door-to-door with a mandatory evacuation for Desert Front Road and Wild Horse Canyon,” according to a Sunday status report. It wasn’t clear how many people were affected.

The remainder of the mountain town of Wrightwood, with about 4,500 residents, was under an evacuation warning.

Several mountain roads were closed. The fire was just 5% contained.

To the west in Los Angeles County, firefighters quickly corralled a wildfire that erupted Sunday in foothills above Duarte. No homes were threatened.

The causes of the fires were under investigation.

Fire conditions were elevated because of warm and dry weekend weather across Southern California. Monday was expected to be cooler, but another heatwave was expected at midweek, the National Weather Service said.