Hundreds of people in southern California in the United States have been evacuated from their homes to avoid a wildfire forming fire tornadoes.
The Sherpa Fire near Santa Barbara, California had expanded to 5km squared by Thursday, making it the "largest since 2009" in the area, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Information Center said. Photo: AFP
The "Sherpa" fire in Santa Barbara County, 145km northwest of Los Angeles in the United States broke out on Wednesday and has burned through more than 3000ha, fed by parched land and high winds.
Fire fighters increased containment after "sundowner winds" expected for the early evening, which could whip through the area's coastal canyons, did not emerge overnight on Friday.
"We had a very good night last night," Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Eric Peterson said, adding "we've had no life loss, no major injuries and no major structural loss".
"Now is the time to gather your family members, pets and important documents in case you need to leave quickly," the city's Sheriff's Office warned.
The fire was one of a series of blazes in western and southwestern states brought about by high temperatures and a prolonged dry spell. One of the largest was southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico, which destroyed about two dozen homes and also forced people to be evacuated.
That fire, labelled the "Dog Head Fire" burned through about 7125ha of timber and logging zones in four days. Governor Susana Martinez this week declared a state of emergency to free up resources to fight the blaze.
Firefighters battle the Sherpa Fire near Santa Barbara, California. Photo: AFP