California wildfire forces 400 to flee

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A raging wildfire burned toward the outskirts of a community north of Los Angeles on Tuesday, injuring two firefighters and forcing more than 400 people to flee their homes.

The fire erupted in the morning and had blackened about 6,000 acres of scrubland by early evening.

Authorities said the blaze was advancing on the outskirts of Moorpark, a community of 40,000 people about 30 miles north of Los Angeles.

"It's burning in light, flashy fuels and it's burning very quickly in the heat and low humidity. The fire is moving very fast," Ventura County Fire spokesman Tom Krushchke said.

Two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation, and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

"Right now we're at Mother Nature's tender mercies. We'll have to see what winds do," he said. "The last report I had from out in the fields was that the winds were not as fierce as they were, but they are predicted to be with us for a while."

About 400 people were ordered evacuated, largely from ranch properties scattered throughout the area, and cattle and other livestock were being moved out of the path of the flames.

Krushchke said oil fields also were threatened by the fire, which was being battled by some 400 firefighters along with eight airplane tankers and four water-dropping helicopters.

"We're making a real aggressive air attack," he said. "Hopefully we can keep it from being any more of a threat to Moorpark than it has been."

The fire was one of four burning across Southern California as temperatures soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 C) and seasonal Santa Ana winds picked up, blowing hot air across bone-dry chaparral and wilderness areas.

Firefighters also were keeping a close eye on the Station Fire, which has burned over 160,000 acres -- the 10th-largest on record in California by area -- and cost nearly $100 million to battle, since it broke out on August 26 in a mountainous area above Los Angeles and nearby suburbs.

Officials said they worried that the hot winds and high temperatures could cause that fire to flare up again. (Editing by Doina Chiacu)