Wildfire spreads north of Los Angeles

A wildfire spread rapidly through desert brush toward stands of dead trees Wednesday in northern Los Angeles County after prompting the evacuation of 175 homes.

The fire, which erupted Tuesday afternoon, had charred more than 10,000 acres by Wednesday morning, firefighters said.

The blaze had destroyed a mobile home, an abandoned house and a bridge, said county fire Inspector Mike McCormick. No injuries were reported.

The area is thick with thousands of dead juniper and pine trees that were ravaged by six years of drought and an infestation of bark beetles.

Winds gusting up to 25 mph and temperatures in the high 90s pushed flames past ranch homes in Acton, about 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

During the night, the blaze crept toward houses in the Little Rock, Bell Springs and Juniper Hills areas.

Three Angeles National Forest roads were closed indefinitely, including a popular commuter route from the growing Antelope Valley to Los Angeles.

The hot, dry weather has helped spread a series of southern California fires in the past week.

Source: Agencies

.