Wildfire forces evacuations in Los Angeles County

California state firefighting agency Cal Fire says the Bobcat fire, in the mountains of Los Angeles County north of Los Angeles, had burned at least 56 square miles (145 square kilometers) by Monday morning.

It said the fire was 6% contained.

The city of Arcadia has ordered residents of at least one neighborhood to evacuate.

"All of a sudden the mountains were just ablaze," Arcadia resident John Matheny told ABC7 Los Angeles.

"A few days ago, it was way down to the east and I wasn't worried about it.  And all of a sudden it just came across without any wind. I couldn't believe it."

Firefighters have been battling a series of blazes across parts of California and Oregon for several weeks.