Apocalyptic-looking plumes of smoke filled skies east of Los Angeles as firefighters battled three major wildfires that erupted amid a blistering heat wave. Tens of thousands of homes and other structures were threatened and evacuation orders were expanded Tuesday night as the fires grew. Parts of the popular ski town of Big Bear and the entire community of Wrightwood were included. Firefighters have been working in steep terrain in temperatures above 100 degrees but cooler weather was expected for the rest of the week. Wildfires are burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada. About 20,000 people have had to flee a fire burning outside Reno.
