The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
The moment a wildfire burst into life and began to spread in California has been caught on camera.
The Maria Fire has burned some 15 square miles and prompted evacuation orders for nearly 11,000 people since it began Thursday evening.
On Friday, a tug of war developed between onshore and offshore winds.
"It has been an uphill battle ever since," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. "As winds shift, we have a whole new fuel bed open up."
The cause was under investigation but there was a troubling possibility that an electrical line might have been involved – as such lines have been involved in other recent fires.
Wildfires spread across California – in pictures
Show all 32
Southern California Edison said Friday that it re-energized a 16,000-volt power line 13 minutes before the fire erupted in the same area.
Edison and other utilities up and down the state shut off power to hundreds of thousands of people this week out of concerns that high winds could cause power lines to spark and start fires.
In footage captured by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory the blaze can be seen sparking into life on a hilltop. The one-minute clip shows the next hour as the fire spreads.
Additional reporting from the Associated Press.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies