A rapidly spreading wildfire in the mountains just north of Los Angeles has already burned about 20 square kilometers, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate, according to authorities on Friday.
Evacuation orders have been put in place for at least ten areas across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Fire department spokesperson Andrew Dowd reported that by late Thursday night, around 2,700 people had been ordered to leave, and over 400 firefighters are currently working to combat the flames. Unfortunately, they haven’t managed to get it under control yet.
The fire broke out while crews were still tackling another wildfire that has been raging for eight days in the protected Los Padres National Forest.
This year has been particularly tough for Southern California, facing a brutal wildfire season. Back in July, a fire near Los Angeles scorched nearly 300 square kilometers of land. Earlier in January, wildfires across California tragically took 30 lives.
