Several Buildings Destroyed In ’Explosive’ Southern California Wildfire, Evacuations Ordered

A raging Southern California wildfire has destroyed several buildings and threatens more than 5,000 other structures, fire officials Thursday.

Firefighters were racing to control the inferno ahead of warmer temperatures forecast for the coming days.

The blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, started Wednesday and suddenly exploded in size in an area near Lake Hughes, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

“This will be a major fire for several days," Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia said in a Thursday morning news conference.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Darryl Osby said several structures had been destroyed. Osby said crews were still assessing the damage so an exact count wasn’t yet available.