Some 3,000 homes were threatened and about 5,000 residents were evacuated, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department said. Photograph: Mike Nelson/EPAThree homes were damaged but the extent of the damage was not clear, Los Angeles County fire captain Keith Mora said. A car crash that downed power lines turned hills north-west of Los Angeles into torches, forcing thousands from their homes and putting entire neighborhoods at risk in a prosperous semi-rural enclave. Fifty-foot flames erupted on the ridges and embers turned trees into candles on Saturday afternoon. One fire in the West Hills area of Los Angeles was quickly doused but other blazes in Calabasas joined and raced through drought-dry brush in hills surrounded by developments.

Source: The Guardian June 05, 2016 13:18 UTC