Rapidly spreading brush fire prompts evacuations for thousands in California

Canyon fire in Ventura county, north of Los Angeles, is 25% contained but still growing, officials say

Hundreds of firefighters and first responders are working to contain a rapidly growing brush fire in a mountainous area of southern California that has forced thousands of evacuations.

The Canyon fire erupted in a rural, sparsely populated area of Ventura county on Thursday afternoon and quickly exploded in size, spreading east into Los Angeles county. By 3pm on Friday afternoon, the blaze was 25% contained but covered nearly 5,400 acres (21.9 sq km) , according to authorities.