California wildfire burns 4,800ha, forces evacuations
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A wildfire burning north-west of Los Angeles on June 16 has forced the evacuation of over 1,000 people from a popular outdoor recreation area and burned over 4,800ha, the authorities said.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES - A wildfire burning north-west of Los Angeles on June 16 has forced the evacuation of over 1,000 people from a popular outdoor recreation area and burned more than 4,800ha, the authorities said.
Some 400 firefighters armed with 70 fire trucks and two bulldozers are battling the fire, which is just 2 per cent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
It is burning south of Gorman, California, about 96.5 km north-west of Los Angeles.
The fire, which started on the afternoon of June 15, is moving to the south-east, towards Pyramid Lake, Cal Fire said.
Some 1,200 people have been evacuated from the Hungry Valley recreation area, which has trails for motorcycles and off-road vehicles, since the fire broke out. Two structures have been destroyed so far.
Cal Fire said that efforts to contain the wildfire are being hampered by high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, forecast to continue through June 16 night.
Water-dropping aircraft are working to halt forward progress of the fire, while firefighters are constructing perimeter fire lines in an effort to get the blaze under more control. REUTERS
