Body is found amid raging LA wildfire
A BURNED body has been found at the scene of a wildfire north of Los Angeles that has scorched 31 square miles and prompted the evacuation of 1,500 homes.
The body was discovered outside a burned home on Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, and detectives are trying to determine whether the person was killed by the blaze or another cause, said Lt Rob Hahnlein of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.
The area was one of several areas ordered to be evacuated as the fire raged through bone-dry canyons and ranchlands.
The fire burned through the area on Saturday evening. Firefighters reported some buildings had been engulfed, but it was not immediately clear whether they were homes, outbuildings or garages, said Nathan Judy, a spokesman for the US Fire Service.
The area was still unsafe because of smouldering debris and trees that might fall because their roots had burned, Mr Judy said.
More than 900 firefighters and waterdropping helicopters were being drafted in to battle the flames but they could face several fronts.
“It’s not a one-direction type of fire,” Mr Judy said. “It’s going in different directions depending on which way the wind is blowing.”
Bengal tigers and a mountain lion were among several hundred animals evacuated as flames ringed the Wildlife Waystation, a sanctuary for rescued exotic creatures.