Fire
Hundreds fight forest fire in Southern California
Fighting the flames in California (archive photo). Photo
© Eric Thayer/AP/dpa
More than 1,600 volunteers are fighting a forest fire in Southern California. So far, the fire has been prevented from spreading to villages.
With over 1,600 volunteers, the California fire department has fought a Forest fire in the US west coast state. By Monday evening (local time), an area of over 63 square kilometers in the Los Angeles district and the neighboring Ventura County to the west had been affected, according to the responsible emergency authority. The fire brigade had made progress. The fire had been brought under control in around 20 percent of the area by the evening. The flames were initially prevented from spreading to towns. The cause of the fire is still unclear.
Access to Pyramid Lake, in the direction of which the flames were moving, had already been blocked by the authorities on Sunday. 1,200 people had to leave the affected region around 150 kilometers north of the metropolis of Los Angeles as a precaution, the fire department said.
The fire is the largest fire in California so far this year. In the summer heat, strong winds quickly spread the flames through the dry vegetation.