A fierce forest fire was raging in the US state of California on Tuesday, forcing hundreds of people to leave their homes.
The Gifford Fire in the Los Padres National Forest, a forest area north of Santa Barbara, spread over an area of more than 290 square kilometres within a few days, according to the US Forest Service.
According to the authority, more than 870 buildings are threatened by the flames.
More than 970 people have been asked to leave their homes, according to media reports.
The blaze, which the US Forest Service said had ignited on Friday for unknown reasons, was 3% under control on Monday evening.
More than 1,900 firefighters were battling the flames. The forestry authorities said that at least three people were injured.
California has already been particularly affected by forest fires in the first half of the year. According to the fire protection authority Cal Fire, an area of almost 895 square kilometres had burnt by mid July - more than twice as much as at the same time last year. The Gifford Fire is not yet included in the data.
The south of the state has been particularly affected by the fires, a spokesman for Cal Fire told the Los Angeles Times.
After the devastating fires at the beginning of the year in the Los Angeles area, in which at least 31 people lost their lives, there have been numerous other fires. As there was little rain in winter, the vegetation was unusually dry early on, which favoured fires.
Experts say it is difficult to prove a direct link between climate change and individual forest fires. One thing is certain: Climate change is causing more hot days. Heat alone does not cause forest fires, but high temperatures, drought, low humidity and wind can increase the risk of forest fires.
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