LOS ANGELES (dpa) 

Thousands of Southern California residents on Wednesday were told to evacuate their homes as a new wildfire was spreading rapidly north of Los Angeles.

The Hughes fire started about 70 kilometres north of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

According to the fire department, the flames spread over an area of more than 38 square kilometres within a few hours. As of Wednesday afternoon it was 0% contained, said LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

More than 31,000 people were told to evacuate while a further 20,000 were in areas affected by evacuation warnings, said LA County Sheriff Robert Luna. According to authorities, there were no initial reports of properties destroyed by the new fire.

Thick smoke hung over the region. Television pictures showed burning hills and huge clouds of smoke. A section of Highway 5, an important California transport artery, was closed temporarily. Authorities pointed to continuing winds that would contribute to increased fire danger.

In the past few days, thousands of firefighters had made progress in fighting two other wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The Eaton fire near Pasadena was 91% contained as of Wednesday, while the Palisades fire, which burned across a wide area on the western edge of Los Angeles, was nearly 70% under control.

According to estimates, more than 15,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged in the area affected by the Eaton and Palisades blazes. The number of confirmed deaths rose to 28.