More than 600 homes face mandatory evacuation for wild fire in U.S.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Some 613 houses in Ventura County in the western U.S. state of California were ordered to evacuate Monday night as a raging wildfire is threatening cities including Santa Paula and Ventura, 110 km northwest of Los Angeles downtown.

The blaze, dubbed the Thomas Fire, broke out shortly before 7:00 p.m. (0300GMT Tuesday) in the area of Thomas Aquinas College and Stekel Park, both in the city of Santa Paula, and then burnt along both sides of Highway 150, which was closed by the authority.

The rapidly spreading fire has scorched about 5,000 acres (about 20 square km) of land, according to an emergency incident summary issued by the Ventura County Sheriff's office on 9:45 p.m.(0545 GMT Tuesday).

NBC News tweeted on its official page that about 2,000 residents were under the evacuation order.

The local San Luis Obispo Tribune newspaper reported that the Ventura County Fire Department requested help from surrounding firefighting agencies, and numerous strike teams of engines and other resources were on order or en route to the blaze.

Night-flying helicopters were requested from Los Angeles and other areas, but were being hampered by gusty conditions, the report said.

There were reports of structures burning but no injury. Enditem