Extreme Weather: Wildfires Erupt Near Los Angeles Amid Record-Breaking Temperatures

Amid excessive heat warnings, a wildfire broke out near Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. The fire has destroyed 50 acres of land as of Tuesday morning and one person has suffered severe burns.

Dry and windy conditions, along with temperatures that have exceeded 100 degrees, had increased the chances of wildfires.

A brush fire in San Bernardino County has grown to nearly 100 acres.

Helicopters and aircraft, as well as over 100 firefighters, have been deployed to contain the Southern California fires.

Hesperia, a city located about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, faced excessive heat starting on Thursday. Parts of the weekend saw record-breaking temperatures in the 100s in the region.

Warnings of excessive heat and prime wildfire conditions went out to the Death Valley region in recent weeks. The southwest states of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico have also faced heat warnings.

New Mexico has two wildfires burning: the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest and the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest. Both fires have burned a combined 605,000 acres. They represent some of the largest wildfires in the state's history.

The U.S. has seen an uptick in fires, mostly due to rising temperatures. From January through April, the National Centers for Environmental Information recorded 22,324 fires.

These fires burned 1,120,330 acres, an average of 50.2 acres per fire. In 2021, there were 58,985 wildfires that burned 7.1 million acres of land in the U.S. That represents a 17% increase from 2019 and a 223% increase since reporting started in 1983. In 2020, wildfires have cost about $16.5 billion in damages.

As temperatures increase due to climate change, experts expect more natural disasters like wildfires.