canyon fire near Los Angeles

Los Angeles (dpa) — Crews fighting the rapidly spreading Canyon Fire not far from Los Angeles reported that the blaze is 25% contained, the California fire protection authority Cal Fire said on Friday.

The fire broke out on Thursday about 60 kilometres north-west of downtown LA and grew to an area of almost 20 square kilometres within a few hours. This corresponds to an area of around 2,800 football pitches.

Emergency teams are battling the flames with 400 personnel. The extinguishing work was carried out “aggressively” from the air and on the ground, Cal Fire said in a statement.

The work of the firefighters has so far prevented major damage to residential areas.

According to the authorities, the fire threatened power lines and several communities.

Some 4,000 people had to leave their homes and a further 12,000 residents were told to be prepared to evacuate. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.