CALIFORNIA (US) – Hundreds of people were evacuated and 21 structures were gutted as a wildfire surged through the mountain brush north of Los Angeles on Friday. Firefighters struggled to contain the blaze and protect thousands of homes.
Nicknamed the Lake Fire, the blaze scorched over 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares), forcing 1,500 people to be evacuated on Wednesday afternoon.
The flames were fanned by single-digit humidity and soaring temperatures and little respite is expected over the weekend.
“We saw extreme fire conditions,” Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Frank Garrido said referring to the operation in which firefighting choppers have been roped in.
Though the cause of the wildfire is being investigated, human activity is to be blamed most likely, said Forest Service spokesman Andrew Mitchell.
There were no reports of casualties.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field