LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Los Angeles residents were warned to avoid outdoor activities as thick smoke from four wildfires blanketed the region, authorities said.
The fires had burned nearly 10,000 acres and forced the evacuation of thousands as more than 2,700 firefighters and numerous air tankers and helicopters sought to keep the flames from sweeping up hillsides, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
The fires were skipping through steep, brush-filled canyons east and north of Los Angeles, the worst of the fires being the so-called Station Fire on the slopes of La Canada Flintridge, the Times reported.
Winds were calm, but air temperatures remained above 100 degrees, which trapped foul smoke in the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys, health officials said. The triple-digit temperatures were expected to last through Sunday with the Station Fire just 5 percent contained as of late Friday.
"It's going to be extremely dynamic," said David Conklin, fire management officer for Angeles National Forest. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us."
