A swiftly expanding fire in California has already claimed at least two lives, and thousands have been told to evacuate. The stifling heat wave in the area is projected to reach its peak on Tuesday.
The Fairview fire, which started in an area southeast of Los Angeles and quickly spread to consume 2,400 acres (1,000 hectares) in less than 24 hours, damaged a number of buildings.
Firefighters reported that one person had been admitted to the hospital with burn injuries and that two persons were known to have perished in the fire.
The evacuation of more than 3,000 residences has been ordered, and all nearby schools have been closed.
Before firemen arrived on the site, the fire was “growing extremely quickly,” a local fire department spokeswoman tweeted.
Although the origin of the incident remained under investigation, Southern California Edison (SCE), a utility, indicated that “circuit activity” was present in the region at the time the fire started.
The corporation has previously paid up billions of dollars after it was discovered that its equipment was to blame for a series of tragic wildfires in California.
SCE has embarked on a lengthy process of shoring up ageing power lines, chopping back nearby vegetation and burying cables in an effort to reduce fires.
California is suffering through a ferocious heatwave, with temperatures of 110 Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) being recorded daily in several areas.
That, coupled with a two-decade drought that has left the countryside tinder dry, is creating ideal conditions for explosive wildfires.
The heat hit the state, as well as parts of neighboring Arizona and Nevada, last week, and forecasters said it was not over yet.
“Following another day of record heat on Tuesday from California to the central High Plains, expect sizzling temperatures to stick around through mid-week,” the National Weather Service said.
“Numerous daily record high temps are likely to be broken from the northern Rockies and High Plains on south to southern California.”
