A midday fire in a Los Angeles County countryside burned nearly 10,000 acres, sending a plume of smoke that could be seen from the city’s beaches 65 miles away.
The Lake Fire on federal land in the unincorporated community of Lake Hughes, about 63 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, was first reported at 3:40 p.m., the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
Los Angeles County Superintendent Kathryn Barger sei about 100 houses had to be evacuated. The Los Angeles Red Cross said it had organized a temporary evacuation point, a high school where residents have to stay in their parked cars.
Several roads were closed.
The fire quickly spread from 50 acres to 10,000 by 6:30 p.m., according to the Forest Service. There was no containment. Several structures were threatened, Forest Service officials said.
In sunshine, firefighters encountered illegal winds, and at nightfall, they tried to set fire to homes in the area, officials said at a news conference.
Early evening temperatures were 88 degrees, winds were from the southwest around 8 to 16 mph, and humidity was at a low 17 percent, said meteorologist Lisa Phillips of the National Weather Service.
Dryness would continue into the night, expecting winds to pick up as fast as 25 mph, she said. Temperatures are expected to drop to around 70. A heat wave with three-digit highs for areas such as Lake Hughes was predicted Friday.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department recruited 420 additional firefighters early Wednesday night to join the front lines.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement that it sent two strike teams, with a third coming from municipal fire departments in Culver City, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said evacuations are affecting residents in the Lake Hughes Road area west of Pine Canyon Road and south of Dry Gulch Road. It was not immediately clear how many residents were affected.
There were no reports of injuries or damage to homes.
Todd Miyazawa contributed.
