Los Angeles Battles ‘Largest Wildfire In City History’

The “largest [wildfire] in the history” of Los Angeles has forced hundreds to evacuate, the US city’s mayor said.

Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters on Saturday that the blaze, which broke out on Friday and lit up the hills surrounding the northern suburb of Burbank overnight, had already burned 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares).

The blaze in thick brush that has not burned in decades was slowly creeping down a rugged hillside on Saturday towards houses, with temperatures in the area approaching 38 degrees Celsius, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert.

Authorities warned of erratic winds that could force them to widen the evacuation zone, after the fire destroyed one house in Los Angeles on Saturday.

 
More than 700 homes were evacuated in a north Los Angeles neighbourhood and nearby areas, officials said.

 
Local media later reported that two additional homes had been burned.