Firefighters scrambled to respond to a wildfire that swept into Los Angeles overnight, causing thousands of people to flee under mandatory evacuation orders.
The Saddleridge fire sparked on Thursday and spread over 4,600 acres by Friday driven by high winds north of LA, according to CNN. The fire closed down parts of three freeways, leaping over two of them overnight before moving into LA neighborhoods.
Santa Ana winds gusting as high as 60 mph drove the fire into clusters of homes as firefighters fought to contain the blaze as well as evacuate 12,000 homes in which many residents were asleep.
The fire had already raized multiple mobile homes on Thursday. PG&E, California’s largest energy company, shut off power to 250,000 homes ahead of the fire.
“In some areas, the streets have started to empty but at the front lines people are watching, waiting on the sidewalk not really knowing what to do,” said Hector Landeros, who lives in northern LA. “There are a lot of people trying to get into their neighborhoods.”
