LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The wildfire burning out of control in the mountains of Los Angeles doubled in size overnight on Monday and torched more structures on its march toward rural communities, officials said.
Two firefighters died on Sunday in a vehicle accident while battling the blaze deep in the national forest. More than 2,500 firefighters are on the ground.
The burned area ballooned to 85,000 acres from 42,000 acres reported late Sunday and the fire continued to burn toward Mount Wilson, the communications nexus for the region’s broadcasters and emergency services.
Three more structures were lost overnight in the inland area, in addition to the 18 houses reported destroyed Sunday.
More than 10,000 homes are threatened, but in the absence of strong winds, crews have managed to spare the heavily populated foothill communities just 12 miles north of Los Angeles.
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Source : Reuters (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Writing by Mary Milliken)
