Firefighters continue to battle fierce wildfires in California
LOS ANGELES: Wildfires raged across California on Friday, destroying homes and forcing evacuations, as over 1,000 firefighters tackled flames in the southern part of the state alone.
Tens of thousands of residents near Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, fled their homes as the so-called Tick Fire scorched over 4,000 acres and was only 10% contained by Friday evening.
The blaze forced the shutdown of all schools in the area as well as a major freeway, creating a traffic nightmare for commuters.
New evacuations in the area were ordered early on Friday as the fire that began the day before continued to spread, driven by so-called Santa Ana winds gusting up to 105kmph.
Some 1,325 firefighters backed by air tankers and helicopters were battling the flames that raced toward densely packed communities and threatened 10,000 structures, officials said.
Six homes were destroyed, Los Angeles county fire chief Daryl Osby told a news conference, adding that the number was expected to rise.
At least four other fires have erupted in southern California this week, fueled by high temperatures in the 80s and 90s (above 30 Celsius) and bone dry conditions.
A red flag warning indicating ripe conditions for wildfire was in effect for more than 18 million people in the southern part of the state until Friday evening.
The National Weather Service warned that although wind speeds were set to decrease later on Friday, they were expected to pick up again on Sunday and Monday in the southern part of the state.
“It looks like another Santa Ana is coming,” meteorologist Eric Boldt told AFP. “Right now, we’re looking at moderate strength winds (Sunday and Monday).” Still, he added, the state remains “critically dry” with little humidity, creating an environment ripe for large and dangerous fire growth.
Fires are also raging in the northern part of the state. The most serious - the Kincade Fire - broke out in the Sonoma wine region, prompting evacuations.
The risk of fires has led to preemptive power cuts to thousands of customers and prompted governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in Sonoma and Los Angeles counties.