‘Lake Fire’ burns more than 10,000 acres north of LA
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By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
A fast-moving brush fire has scorched more than 10,000 acres in California north of Los Angeles, authorities said.
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California A helicopter drops water to the Lake Hughes fire in the Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, north of Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California Firefighters watch the Lake Hughes fire in Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, north of Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California Firefighters watch the Lake Hughes fire in Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, north of Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California A firefighter watches as a helicopter drops water on the Lake Hughes fire in Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, north of Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California Firefighters work against the Lake Hughes fire in Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, north of Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California Firefighters walk in smoke and haze from the Lake Hughes fire in Angeles National Forest on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, north of Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California A helicopter flies above The Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest, by Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, California, on August 12, 2020. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California The plume of smoke from the Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest, by Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, is seen from the 14 freeway in Agua Dulce, California, on August 12, 2020. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California A plane flies above the plume of smoke from the Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest, by Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, as it's seen from the 14 freeway in Agua Dulce, California, on August 12, 2020. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California A plane flies by the plume of smoke from the Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest, by Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, as it's seen from the 14 freeway in Agua Dulce, California, on August 12, 2020. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
'Lake Fire' burns more than 10,000 acres in Southern California The plume of smoke from the Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest, by Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, is seen from the 14 freeway in Agua Dulce, California, on August 12, 2020. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
The blaze, dubbed the “Lake Fire,” was burning near Lake Hughes in northern Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office ordered mandatory evacuations as the fire raged in the Angeles National Forest and destroyed homes, KABC reported.
Marvin Lim, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said firefighters were alerted to the blaze around 3:30 p.m., the Times reported. As of 6:30 p.m., the fire was at 0% containment, the newspaper reported.
according to a statement on the Angeles National Forest incident page, “gusty winds, low humidities, and hot temperatures will bring elevated to brief critical fire weather conditions to the mountains and Antelope Valley.”
According to the National Weather Service, the fire was growing at an “extreme rate in steep terrain.” Originally, 50 acres had been burned but the fire grew rapidly in size, KTLA reported.
Lim said more than 300 firefighters, along with helicopters and aircraft, have been sent to the scene, the Times reported.
“It’s a fast-moving fire,” Lim told the newspaper. “There’s a lot of vegetation in the area, and it’s moving in the northeast direction.”