LOS ANGELES (AFP) — One thousand firefighters are battling a raging fire that burned around 750 acres (303 hectares) of land north of Los Angeles by Sunday morning, the Los Angeles Times reported.
No injuries have been reported, but the fire in the Angeles National Forest prompted the evacuation of 400 homes in the area, Sam Padilla, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said in the daily.
The fire is just five percent contained, authorities said, adding that they aim to get the blaze under control before dusk, when winds that fan the flames are expected to strengthen.
Authorities said winds could remain around 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour) through Tuesday evening, and warned that "wind-carried embers could spark new fires."
The fire broke out at 2am Sunday, the Times reported, but the cause is unknown.
California is frequently hit by scorching wildfires due to its dry climate, Santa Ana winds and recent housing booms which have seen housing spread rapidly into rural and densely forested areas.
In June and July this year, a series of about 2,000 fires raged across the state, scorching some 900,000 acres (3,500 square kilometers) of land, according to officials.
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