LOS ANGELES: Firefighters on Saturday battled a deadly California blaze that has killed two people and destroyed at least 150 homes after rapidly taking over large swaths of land.
The blaze, which has been dubbed the “Erskine Fire,” has spread to more than 56 square miles (145 square kilometers) over the course of several days.
Hot temperatures, bone-dry conditions that make brush and grass flammable, and high winds of up to 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour) helped spread the fast-moving blaze that erupted late Thursday afternoon in the Lake Isabella area of Kern County.
The National Weather Service predicted the thermostat would reach 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) on Sunday.
Thousands of residents have been evacuated and the American Red Cross of Kern County has opened two shelters for residents affected by the fire.
Around 1,140 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blaze.
State authorities said firefighters’ task was to “prepare and protect threatened structures,” as well as “construct and improve containment lines.”
“There is significant potential for fire spread on the eastern flank when wind and slope are in alignment,” a state emergency management website said.
“The southern portion of the fire is very steep and rugged, making reconnaissance and fire suppression extremely difficult.”
California Governor Jerry Brown has issued a state of emergency for the region, allowing aid to be deployed more quickly.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and is still unknown.
Authorities have closed several highways and evacuated two schools and a retirement home in the agricultural and oil region.
California is experiencing a record five-year drought and trees and brush are at risk of igniting from the smallest spark.
More than 14 large fires are currently raging in the United States, mostly in the southwest, where a record heat wave left at least five dead last Sunday.
