Fire in Los Angeles closes freeway as monster heat wave brings misery to California

A monster heat wave descended on Southern California on Sunday, bringing triple-digit temperatures on the Fahrenheit scale across a large swath of the region and fueling a dangerous fire in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake section.

As of noon, numerous areas had exceeded 38 Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) including Burbank, Beverly Hills, Woodland Hills, Fullerton, Glendale and Riverside.

The 41 Celsius reading in Burbank set a new record for the day. One National Weather Service weather site showed a 44 Celsius reading in Beverly Hills.

In Silver Lake, a fire at a home quickly spread to brush along the 2 Freeway, prompting firefighters to call for more resources and air support. The freeway was closed in both directions near its terminus in the Echo Park section.

Los Angeles Fire Department choppers were making water drops on a neighbourhood along the freeway and firefighters were working in backyards with hoses trying to prevent structure losses.

The LAFD said about 150 firefighters were on scene, trying to prevent the fire from moving west of Silver Ridge Avenue and east of Corralitas Drive.