US wildfire forces hundreds to flee

A huge wildfire has churned through high desert wilderness north of Los Angeles, destroying a few buildings and forcing people from about 2000 homes.

Most of the displaced residents have been allowed to return as the threat eases.

One single-family home and three mobile home residences were destroyed, another house had roof damage and various other outbuildings and garages were lost in the horse country region, authorities said.

A huge DC-10 jumbo jet tanker arrived on the scene after sunrise Friday to drop fire retardant on the 32sq km blaze. Containment was estimated at only 5 percent.

The blaze prompted the evacuation of about 2000 Antelope Valley homes, but most people had now returned, Los Angeles County fire and sheriff's officials said.

Flames up to 15m high threatened the communities of Leona Valley, Anaverde and Ranch Vista but cool, windless overnight weather helped ease the threat.

The fire stopped at the California Aqueduct, which runs along foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The concrete channel acted as a natural firebreak, fire Inspector Matt Levesque said.

"That fire burned right up to the homes (but there is) no more fuel for it to burn," he said.

Aircraft and about 500 firefighters intended to concentrate on protecting the densely populated Palmdale area a few miles away and a cluster of power transmission lines that provide electricity to much of Southern California, Bryant said.

A forecast of gusty afternoon winds and a high of 37 degrees Celsius were expected to pose a challenge for crews.

The fire broke out near a state highway that snakes through the San Gabriel Mountains, connecting Los Angeles to the high desert. Angeles National Forest lands lie on either side.

Farther north in Kern County, good weather helped firefighters build containment lines around two wildfires that destroyed homes in remote mountain communities earlier in the week.