About 1,200 residents were evacuated from their homes near Los Angeles overnight as a wildfire in the Angeles National Forest expanded under powerful winds, fire officials said Monday.
The so-called Marek Fire, which broke out early Sunday and has burned over 3,000 acres as of Monday morning, prompted authorities to keep four schools and several highways in the Sunland area, about 50 kilometers north of downtown Los Angeles, closed for the day.
A Los Angeles County official said that local firefighters are well prepared to fight the blaze although strong winds were picking up.
"We are as well prepared as any county in America. We have considerable resources here," County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky told a morning press conference.
According to Angeles National Forest spokesman Stanton Florea, the fire, which was only 20 percent contained, will likely burn for several days.
About 1,000 local firefighters, supported by six helicopters and four air tankers, have been working with the Forest Service to halt the spread of the blaze, and more fire engines were requested to provide assistance Monday, officials said.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but authorities say it appears to have been set deliberately.
Source:Xinhua
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