A wildfire erupted on Monday near an upscale neighborhood of Los Angeles as some 200 firefighters, backed by water-dropping helicopters, fought the flames.

The blaze erupted shortly before 11 a.m. in the Los Angeles foothill community of Granada Hills, fire officials said, quickly charring some 15 acres (6 hectares) of brush left parched by California's multi-year drought.

There were no immediate reports of injury or damage to nearby luxury homes as firefighters battled the wind-driven flames as they burned in a nearby canyon, throwing smoke over Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said that 10 homes were considered threatened and that those residents had been safely evacuated.

California is entering its fourth year of a devastating drought that has left brush and wilderness areas bone-dry and prone to wildfires.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/128834.aspx