Wildfire forces 300 homes to evacuate north of Los Angeles

[July 23, 2016]    (Reuters) - Some 300 firefighters were battling a fast-moving wildfire outside Los Angeles early on Saturday that forced the evacuation of about 300 homes, fire officials said.

The blaze broke out on Friday afternoon and spread quickly to cover some 2,500 acres in Santa Clarita about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of the city, the state's official incident information system said.

No deaths or injuries were reported.

The temperature in the area was 111 degrees Fahrenheit when the fire broke out, with a west-southwest wind of 15 mph with gusts of up to 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee)

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.