Thousands under evacuation order as wildfire spreads north of L.A.

A brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles ignited and spread quickly Thursday, forcing thousands of evacuations.

The Canyon Fire ignited around 1:30 p.m. local time, growing to over six square kilometres in five hours, according to Ventura County emergency response. It remained not contained late Thursday afternoon and was spreading east, the county said.

The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest. It's close by Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area burned by the Hughes Fire in January . That fire burned about 39 square kilometres in six hours and put 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings.

In L.A. County, around 4,200 residents and 1,400 structures are under an evacuation order, and another 12,500 resi