Firefighters Friday were trying to make progress after the Canyon fire exploded to nearly 5,000 acres, forcing residents in northern Los Angeles and Ventura counties to evacuate.

“We’re trying to build a box around this fire and put it out before it gets into any of the potential communities that are currently under evacuation orders,” said Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd.

The Canyon fire was the largest of several fires sparked by days of intense heat in Southern California. To the north in San Luis Opisbo County, the much larger Gifford fire has burned 100,000 acres.

The Canyon Fire broke out amid 100-degree temperatures.

A slight weakening of the high pressure system and an increase in onshore flow Friday and Saturday are expected to bring temperatures down 1

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