Azusa (California): Heat-wave conditions were making difficult work for fire crews battling brush fires and wildfires across Southern California Thursday. Firefighters were racing to protect a neighbourhood of homes after a brush fire erupted in the foothills above Azusa, about 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles, according to a report from KABC-TV.
The fire grew to some 600 acres in the afternoon and prompted Azusa police to announce the evacuation of a community in the area, according to the KABC report.
Crews also scrambled to protect homes from a huge wildfire that erupted Wednesday in the Angeles National Forest. That fire exploded in size within hours after it broke out in the dense forest on Wednesday afternoon, sending up a towering plume visible for hundreds of miles around.
Flames raced across ridges and steep slopes, including in some areas that had not burned since 1968, fire officials said. By Thursday morning, the blaze had consumed nearly 16.5 square miles (42 square kilometres) of timber and brush. There was no containment.
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Light winds and scattered thundershowers early in the day helped firefighters tame the flames to some extent. But as the cloud cover cleared and temperatures spiked Thursday afternoon, officials prepared for a repeat of the ferocious fire activity seen a day earlier.
About 100 rural homes were evacuated in the Lake Hughes area of the Angeles National Forest, some 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles.
Preliminary damage assessments found that at least three structures burned, but authorities warned the toll would likely be higher. It wasn't immediately clear if any residences were damaged. Evacuation centres were designated for residents and animals, but because of COVID-19 concerns, people were told to stay in their cars in the parking lots.
The cause of the blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, is under investigation. It's one of several wildfires burning in the region. The heatwave was expected to last through the weekend, bringing triple-digit temperatures and extreme fire danger to large portions of California.
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(AP)
