Hundreds of firefighters were battling uncontrolled wildfires in southern California early Wednesday, as crews made gradual progress against two major blazes while another fire erupted southeast of Los Angeles, authorities said.
The Verona Fire near the city of Hemet was spreading at a “dangerous rate” and has not yet been contained at all, the state fire authority Cal Fire warned.
Two people — a firefighter and a civilian — suffered minor injuries, authorities said. Residents in several districts were ordered to evacuate their homes on Tuesday.
Several other wildfires were also active across the western US state at the start of the fire season.
A blaze on Santa Rosa Island off the California coast was 26% contained by Tuesday evening, according to authorities. The fire has burned around 68 square kilometres within just a few days.
North-west of Los Angeles, a wildfire near the city of Simi Valley had spread across nearly seven square kilometres, Cal Fire said. The Sandy Fire, as it is known, was only 5% contained on Tuesday, but cooler weather and easing winds were helping firefighting efforts.
Strong winds had rapidly fuelled the blaze on Monday morning in the hills above Simi Valley. At least one house was destroyed, according to media reports.
Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for several districts. At one point around 29,000 people were affected, though the number has since fallen to about 17,000.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the fire on Santa Rosa Island is the largest documented blaze in the island’s modern history.
