California wildfire rages

Updated 07.44 Mon Apr 28 2008

Keywords: fire, California

A wildfire raging in California has forced 1,000 people to evacuate their homes in the hills northeast of Los Angeles.

Around 45 people celebrating a wedding at a mountain campground were lifted from the area by helicopter after the fire cut off their exit trail. No one was harmed.

Between 400 and 500 homes are under a mandatory evacuation order, though to date only a small storage shed had been burned

It is not yet known what started the 400-acre (162 hectares) blaze, which began on Saturday afternoon amid near-record temperatures in southern California.

Temperatures climbed above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) but low winds and humidity has worked in the favour of firefighters.

Between 400 and 500 homes are under a mandatory evacuation order, though to date only a small storage shed had been burned.

The blaze was 30 per cent contained on Sunday evening and a spokesman for the US Forest Service said that If the weather continued to cooperate, it should be fully contained in four to seven days.

About 500 firefighters from throughout the state were assigned to the fire and water-dropping planes and helicopters were also mobilised.

Late last year, strong winds, high temperatures and parched brush after a record drought were blamed for spreading a series of blazes from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border.