Procession for fallen firefighter in California

A procession was held in Southern California Friday for a firefighter who died battling a wildfire in the area.

The death happened Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.

The fire erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby's gender, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.

The name of the firefighter was being withheld until family members are notified. The cause of the death was under investigation.

Meanwhile, a stubborn, growing wildfire in mountains northeast of Los Angeles is moving toward homes.

Evacuation warnings were issued Thursday evening for the small forest town of Wrightwood on the fire's northeast side. Earlier in the day residents were ordered to leave the community of Juniper Hills in foothills on the north flank of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The blaze started Sept. 6 on the south flank of the San Gabriels and has slowly churned across much of the range, through timber and brush that hadn't burned in decades.

Officials say the fire has flared up in other areas and is again threatening Mount Wilson, site of a historic observatory and an array of broadcast antennas.

More than 17,000 firefighters are battling more than two dozen major wildfires in California. The blazes are blamed for at least 25 deaths.

(Representative Image)