A dangerous wildfire broke out at sunrise on Thursday just outside of Glendora, Calif. The rapidly-moving fire started in the dry foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and is now moving down, advancing rapidly towards nearby neighborhoods and burning houses on its way.
The origin of the fire is still unknown. Early estimates say at least 2.5 square miles of dry bush have burned, just 25 miles northeast of Los Angeles, as reported by the Associated Press.
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The fire, which was reported around 5:50 a.m. PST, picked up quickly, pushed by the dry Santa Ana winds, which are responsible for some of California's worst wildfires. The wind is blowing downslope and carrying the fire toward the cities of Glendora and Azusa, where local authorities are going door to door, asking residents to evacuate.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department sent more than 500 firefighters on the scene, and has deployed seven engines, three helicopters, and an aircraft equipped with a water-dropping Super Scooper plane to fight the fire.
The rapidly growing fire has created a huge smoky cloud, which could be seen from downtown Los Angeles, and made ash rain down east of the city.
"We're underneath a giant cloud of smoke," Jonathan Lambert, the general manager of a local coffee shop, told the AP. "It's throwing quite the eerie shadow over a lot of Glendora."
A wildfire burns in the hills just north of the San Gabriel Valley community of Glendora, Calif., on Thursday, Jan 16, 2014.
Another view of the wildfire burning in the hills just outside of Glendora, Calif.
A helicopter drops water on a fire outside of Azusa, Calif.
A homeowner attempts to protect a tree on his property while a wildfire burns in the hills.
A resident on the roof of a house talks on the phone as the wildfire burns.
Mark Davis gives a thumbs-up toward a helicopter as he sprays water around his property in Azusa, Calif.
A firefighting helicopter passes over the hills behind homes just north of Glendora, Calif.
A man walks off the rooftop after spraying water on his home as firefighters battle a wildfire in Azusa, Calif.
Fred Garside gives a thumbs-up toward helicopters flying over Azusa, Calif.
Family members comfort each other as they evacuate their home in Azusa, Calif.
Motorists exchange information after a car accident as a wildfire burns in the hills just in front of them.
Thick smoke passes over downtown Los Angeles.
Commuters make their way along the 210 freeway as the wildfire burns.
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