Khaberni - A fast-spreading wildfire has erupted in the state of California, USA, while the city of Los Angeles faces successive storms that could lead to flooding and landslides in areas devastated by wildfires last January.
The new fire, named "Back Fire," started on Thursday in the wilderness of Mono County, about 241 kilometers southeast of Sacramento, California.
The administration reported that the fire, which consumed about 3,400 acres until last Friday, damaged up to 15 buildings and forced 1,400 people to evacuate.
Brent Gillespie, an official in Mono County, said most people were allowed to return to their homes.
Meteorological experts say the heavy rain flowing southward from the San Francisco area could help firefighters control the fire.
Heather Zehr, a meteorologist at "AccuWeather," said that the storm that brought moderate rain to the Los Angeles area is expected to merge with similar weather moving eastward off the Pacific on Saturday and Sunday.
She explained, "It's the same storm that caused chaos in transportation in San Francisco on Thursday, but it's changing rapidly... Los Angeles will see some rain."
She added, "By Saturday, Southern California will experience heavy rainfall."
The potential floods threaten landslides in areas that were affected by the fires in January, which were one of the largest natural disasters to hit Los Angeles County.
Zehr said, "There will be floods, torrents, and mudslides. This is definitely a big problem."
The Eaton and Palisades fires in January resulted in the death of about 30 people and destroyed or damaged more than 16,000 homes and businesses. Up to 180,000 people were evacuated.
AccuWeather estimates the damages and economic losses caused by them to be up to $250 billion.
