The wildfires swelling in the mountains near Los Angeles on Tuesday are expected to get larger before weather conditions improve in the next few days.

The biggest blaze the Line fire has prompted school closures air quality warnings and evacuation orders for 11 000 residents.

Firefighters battling it on Monday successfully curbed the fire’s growth along its southern and western borders where flames had threatened to encroach on the communities of Running Springs and Highland according to the Cal Fire operations section chief Jeremy Pierce.

But the fire’s northeast edge has been more challenging to control because of mountainous terrain that is difficult to access Mr.Pierce said. With southwesterly winds forecast in the next few days the Line fire is predicted to begin to push northeast toward the Big Bear communities.

We’re expecting it to have a very significant growth over the next 24 to 48 hours Mr. Pierce said during a news conference on Monday evening.

Roughly 60 miles to the southwest in eastern Orange County the Airport fire has been fueled by dry conditions and winds.

Officials ordered evacuations for parts of Trabuco Canyon a community in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains.

The blaze started in a rural area where narrow roads and single family homes are tucked in steep brushy canyons.

It is a popular area for hiking and riding motorcycles. The canyons quickly give way to gated communities full of expensive homes that offer close access to nature.

Eric Nelson the president of Trabuco Flyers which oversees a flying field for remote controlled model airplanes said the fire appeared to have begun on a neighboring property.

So far the winds are blowing away from the flying field where as many as 120 people gather on weekends to fly the planes.

Let’s keep praying the wind doesn’t shift and start coming out of the east then we’ll be in trouble said Mr.Nelson. The battles against both fires will benefit from cooler temperatures that are expected to arrive on Wednesday weather officials said.

Still Jake Rodriguez a public information officer with the U. S. Forest Service said the Line fire would probably continue to burn for days even if containment starts to increase.