Homes gutted as LA wildfire doubles in size in a day destroying 22,000 acres of land and forcing 1,500 people to evacuate as smoke and ash covers the city in apocalyptic scenes
Fast moving Sand Fire stoked by heat and wind started Friday afternoon in Santa Clarita and continued to burn
Blaze had destroyed 22,000 acres of land by Sunday morning having swelled from 11,000 acres at noon Saturday
So far 17 homes have been confirmed as destroyed by the blaze and flames threaten a further 1,500 properties
Nearly 1,700 firefighters are battling the blaze by air and ground which is at 20 percent containment
Authorities say the body of a man was found at the scene of the fire outside a home in Santa Clarita
Detectives are working to determine whether the man was killed by the fire or died of another cause
The Soberanes Fire is also burning out of control near Big Sur on the scenic Central Coast of the state
More than 6,500 acres of land has been destroyed, as it is only at five percent contained and threatens 1,000 homes
By Regina F. Graham and Kiri Blakeley
DailyMail.com
24 July 2016
A raging wildfire which has turned the Los Angeles sky into a sea of smoke has doubled in size in a day, destroying 22,000 acres of land.
The latest figures released by the authorities say the blaze is at 20 percent containment and a total of 17 family homes have been gutted in the areas of Sand Canyon, Bear Divide and Little Tujunga, according to Marc Peebles, public information officer for the SoCal Incident Management Team, abc7 reported.
Authorities say almost 1,700 firefighters who are being hindered by scorching temperatures of up to 112 degrees are battling the blaze in mountains north of Los Angeles known as the Sand Fire.
Late Saturday evening, a man;s body was found at the scene of the fire outside a home on Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita. Detectives are working to determine whether he was killed by the blaze or another cause, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Rob Hahnlein said.
NBC News reported that the fire broke out on Friday at 2pm in Santa Clarita and grew to 11,000 acres by noon Saturday. By Sunday morning it had spread to 22,000 acres which amounts to nearly 35 square miles, fire officials said.
