California wildfire rages with 53 homes destroyed, thousands threatened

A RELENTLESS southern California wildfire raged yesterday with 53 homes up in smoke, thousands more threatened and new rounds of evacuations as towering flames crackled close to foothill neighbourhoods in the path of the blaze.

Flames ploughed through half-century-old thickets of tinder-dry brush, bush and trees just 24 kilometres north of downtown Los Angeles. The 6-day-old fire is now expected to burn for weeks.

The size of fire in the Angeles National Forest grew to more than 490 square kilometres overnight, US Forest Service Cmdr Mike Dietrich said.