Sharjah24 - AFP: At least two people are dead and thousands have been ordered to flee a rapidly spreading fire in California, with the region's oppressive heatwave expected to peak Tuesday.
Several buildings were destroyed as the Fairview fire erupted southeast of Los Angeles, racing to consume 2,400 acres (1,000 hectares) in less than 24 hours.
Firefighters said two people were known to have died in the blaze, and one person had been hospitalized with burn injuries.
More than 3,000 homes are under orders to evacuate, and all local schools have been shuttered.
The blaze was "spreading very quickly before firefighters even got on scene," a local fire department spokesman said on Twitter.
California is in the middle of a ferocious heatwave, with temperatures of 110 Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) being recorded in several areas.
That, coupled with a two-decade drought that has left the countryside tinder dry, is creating ideal conditions for explosive wildfires.
The heat hit the state, as well as parts of neighboring Arizona and Nevada, last week, and is forecast to continue until around Thursday.
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