Good evening! We're wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
Temperatures will continue on a downward trend Thursday, with plenty of cities nearly 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the start of the week.
This offers some relief for firefighters around the current SoCal fires where daytime highs will be in the 70s and 80s instead of the 90s and 100s.
Marine-layer clouds will make a push inland each night and below average temperatures will continue into early next week.
Tomorrow's Highs
Get your 7-day forecast: LA West | LA East | San Fernando Valley/Ventura County | Orange County
Today's Big Stories
1. Wildfires scorch Southern California hillside homes. More are threatened
Alex Luna, a 20-year-old missionary, saw the sky turn from a cherry red to black in about 90 minutes as an explosive wildfire raced toward the Southern California mountain community of Wrightwood and authorities implored residents to leave their belongings behind and get out of town.
"It was very, I would say, hellish-like," Luna said Tuesday night. "It was very just dark. Not a good place to be at that moment. ... Ash was falling from the sky like if it was snowing."
Luna was among those who heeded the evacuation order that was issued for the community of about 4,500 in the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles. The Bridge Fire, which had burned 73 square miles as of late Tuesday with no containment, is one of three major wildfires burning in Southern California and endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures.
The fires sprung to life during a triple-digit heat wave that finally broke Wednesday. The cooler temperatures brought the prospect of firefighters finally making headway against the flames.
2. Bridge Fire in LA, San Bernardino counties destroys dozens of structures
The Bridge Fire that erupted in the San Gabriel Canyon above Glendora continued to swell in size Wednesday as it chewed through terrain and structures in San Bernardino County, becoming the largest active blaze in California.
The wildfire was reported around 3 p.m. Sunday near the area of East Fork and Glendora Mountain roads, according to officials with the Angeles National Forest. On Tuesday afternoon, the fire was listed at about 4,100 acres, but by early evening, it had exploded in size to more than 34,000 acres.
As of Wednesday afternoon, CalFire reported that the blaze had burned 49,008 acres, fueled by thick brush that carried the flames into San Bernardino County community of Wrightwood and into the Mountain High Ski Resort.
"Last night, the Bridge Fire continued to exhibit extreme fire behavior as it increased over 13,000 acres mainly on the north and east flanks," according to an early morning Wednesday update from fire commanders. "The top priority for firefighters remained in structure protection and defense within the communities of Wrightwood, Pinon Hills and Mount Baldy.
"Numerous structures in the Wrightwood area have been impacted by the fire, with damage to power infrastructure reported. Once it is safe for damage assessment teams to evaluate, confirmed numbers will be released. Mountain High West and East Ski Resort were also affected by fire activity."
3. Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are declared divorced and single
A Florida judge has declared Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner divorced and single, signing off on a confidential agreement reached between the two.
The Miami-Dade County judge approved the agreement on Friday, one year after the 35-year-old Jonas Brothers singer filed to divorce the 28-year-old “Game of Thrones” and "X Men" actor and five years after the two were married.
The split brought a quiet and relatively quick end to a divorce that briefly became acrimonious and looked headed for a long and ugly custody fight.
The documents said that moderated negotiations led to an agreement on splitting assets, spousal support and custody of their two daughters, 4-year-old Willa and 2-year-old Delphine.
4. U.S. inflation reaches 3-year low as Federal Reserve prepares to cut interest rates
The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next week.
Wednesday's report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices rose 2.5% in August from a year earlier. It was the fifth straight annual drop and the smallest such increase since February 2021. From July to August, prices rose just 0.2%.
Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices rose 3.2% in August from 12 months earlier, the same as in July. On a month-to-month basis, core prices rose 0.3% last month, a pickup from July's 0.2% increase. Economists closely watch core prices, which typically provide a better read of future inflation trends.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
- Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump to attend campaign fundraising evening reception in Los Angeles
- Pretrial hearing set for former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein as prosecutors bring "new sexual assault charges and rape claims against Weinstein that occurred in Manhattan" to court
- Unemployment weekly claims report
- Black Conservative Federation to conclude BCF Bus Tour in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Baltimore
- London Fashion Week Spring/Summer, exhibition for ready-to-wear designer fashion and trade show for buyers to open — designers include Harris Reed and Hu Bing
In Case You Missed It
(Photo courtesy of Cohen Veterans Network)
New tools aim to prevent suicide after service for veterans
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and a new tool is now available to use as a pro-active approach to help veterans transition from military service.
Leaving active duty after twenty years in the Marine Corps hit Shawn Grant harder than he thought. He says he struggled with depression as he made the transition to civilian life.
“I didn’t struggle with depression throughout my time in the Marine Corps because I had such a big support group,” Grant said. “And you don’t realize how much you’re losing when you actually lose that support group.”
Click the link above for more information.