California battles its largest wildfire of the year
The so-called Madre Fire broke out Wednesday in a mountainous area of the Los Padres National Forest in San Luis Obispo County, about 350 miles north of Los Angeles.
Fires in Los Angeles
Firefighters are battling an explosive wildfire burning out of control in Southern California — the largest the western state has seen so far this year.
The so-called Madre Fire broke out Wednesday in a mountainous area of the Los Padres National Forest in San Luis Obispo County, about 350 kilometers north of Los Angeles and in less than 24 hours consumed more than 21,000 hectares of vegetation, according to official estimates.
The blaze raised dense plumes of smoke and put some 200 people in surrounding neighborhoods under evacuation orders, the San Luis Obispo Tribune newspaper reported.
The fire also forced the closure of a major highway in the state.
More than 600 personnel are battling the blaze by air and ground. However, as of Thursday afternoon, the California Fire Department reported that only 5% of the fire had been contained. By Friday morning, containment had increased to 10%.
The cause of the conflagration is under investigation.
Several fires in the country
The California Fire Department reported that between Tuesday and Wednesday they were sent to fight more than 65 wildfires in the state.
LATEST
