Los Angeles:
A fast-moving brush fire threatened hundreds of homes in drought-stricken southern California today, prompting mandatory evacuations for local residents, authorities said.
The Riverside County Fire Department said the fire erupted shortly after 6:00 pm (0100 GMT) on Saturday and had burned about 300 acres in an area southeast of Los Angeles.
Some 200 homes were under evacuation orders and the American Red Cross opened an evacuation center for affected residents.
Dramatic photos posted on Twitter showed flames reaching up into the night sky as firefighters worked to stop the blaze spreading.
As of today, the fire was about 15 percent contained, authorities said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries and the cause of the blaze was not known.
California is experiencing its worst drought on record and much of the landscape is bone dry.