Huge wildfire in California forces hundreds to evacuate
CGTN

A huge forest fire that prompted evacuations north of Los Angeles flared up Friday afternoon, sending up an enormous cloud of smoke as it headed down to the desert floor and the California aqueduct in the Antelope Valley.

Fire crews managed to stop its movement there, but additional evacuations were ordered for the western Antelope Valley.  

The blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, swelled to over 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares), forcing up to 1,500 people from their houses after erupting on Wednesday afternoon in the Angeles National Forest.

Triple-digit temperatures and single-digit humidity fanned flames on Friday evening, and little let-up was expected over the weekend with an excessive heat warning in effect across Southern California. 

An air tanker drops retardant as the Lake Fire burns in the Angeles National Forest north of Santa Clarita, California, U.S., August 13, 2020. /AP

An air tanker drops retardant as the Lake Fire burns in the Angeles National Forest north of Santa Clarita, California, U.S., August 13, 2020. /AP

"We saw extreme fire conditions," Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Frank Garrido said of the operation in steep canyons aided by firefighting helicopters.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation, but human activity is likely to blame, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Andrew Mitchell.

No casualties were reported, but the blaze threatened 5,420 homes and other structures in communities about 40 miles (65 km) north of downtown Los Angeles where residents have been told to prepare for possible evacuations over the weekend, Garrido said.

Los Angeles County firefighter Brad Auman fills a water tank while helping battle the Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Santa Clarita, California, August 13, 2020. /AP

Los Angeles County firefighter Brad Auman fills a water tank while helping battle the Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Santa Clarita, California, August 13, 2020. /AP

Much of the area has not had a fire in 60-100 years, allowing flames to move swiftly through fuel-choked areas.

Across the United States, fires have been less ferocious so far in 2020, burning around 1.4 million fewer acres than in the same period of 2019. Conditions are expected to worsen in California next month when Santa Ana winds arrive in the south, and El Diablo winds pick up in the North.

In drought-stricken Colorado, the Pine Gulch Fire, burning near Grand Junction, about 190 miles west of Denver, has blackened over 73,000 acres in remote mountain terrain, making it the fourth-largest in the state's history.

(With input from agencies )