California Fire Burns Bel-Air Mansions as Spread Continues

Residents of Los Angeles’ wealthy Bel-Air neighbourhood have found their homes under threat after another wildfire erupted in California, BBC reports.

The so-called Skirball Fire destroyed several homes in the exclusive area, quickly spreading over 150 acres.

It is the latest eruption of wildfire in the state, which has already seen widespread destruction from a series of uncontrolled blazes.

The largest, named the Thomas Fire, has covered some 90,000 acres.

By Wednesday night local time, California’s fire service said it had threatened 12,000 buildings, destroyed 150, and was only “5% contained”.

Mandatory evacuation orders remained in several areas, as strong winds helped to spread the flames.

Authorities issued a purple alert - the highest level warning ever issued in the state - amid what it called “extremely critical fire weather”.

Ken Pimlott, head of California’s fire response, told reporters: “There will be no ability to fight fires in this kind of wind.”

He said evacuations would be prioritised.

The nearby University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) cancelled all classes on Thursday, despite the university campus lying outside the evacuation zone on the city’s west side. It said it had taken the decision “given the array of uncertainties”.