A fire broke out north of Los Angeles. The flames spread very quickly – on Saturday, in just a few hours, they covered over 1,700 hectares. 1,200 tourists visiting a nearby off-road racing track had to be evacuated.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, a fire called the Post Fire broke out on Saturday afternoon near Gorman, northwest of Los Angeles. In an update published on Saturday evening, it was reported that the fire had spread over an area of ​​over 1,780 hectares and was completely uncontained.
Fighting from the ground and from the air
The flames threatened the safety of tourists at the Hungry Valley SVRA off-road racing track. On Saturday, it was necessary to evacuate all people staying there – 1,200 tourists – and close the road to the nearby Pyramid Lake. The services said that further evacuations could not be ruled out.
– Crews are currently working to build fire defense lines in places where flames are visible. We also use firefighting planes to stop the progress of the fire, but visibility is limited, the statement said.
Fighting the fire is very difficult due to the dry, gusty wind, which is expected to reach 50 kilometers per hour at night. Forecasts indicate that the hot and windy weather will continue on Sunday.
Fire in Los Angeles CountyPAP/EPA/ALLISON DINNER
Fire in Los Angeles CountyPAP/EPA/ALLISON DINNER
NBC News, LA County Fire Department
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/ALLISON DINNER