LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dry vegetation fueled three wildfires near Los Angeles amid warnings Friday that the risk of new blazes erupting was high as temperatures spike and humidity levels drop during a statewide heat wave.
A huge forest fire that prompted evacuations north of Los Angeles was just 12% contained and after threatening more than 5,400 homes, it had charred 17 square miles (44.5 square kilometers) of brush and trees.
Cooler overnight temperatures helped firefighters increase containment of that fire, but the forecast called for hot, dry weather with extremely dangerous fire conditions because of possible gusty winds, a fire update said Thursday night.
California’s heat wave was expected to last through the weekend, bringing triple-digit temperatures and extreme fire danger to many parts of the state.
Preliminary damage assessments found that at least three structures burned in the Lake Hughes area north of Los Angeles, but authorities said they believed more had been damaged or destroyed.