Firefighters battle to bring California wildfire under control

More than 600 firefighters have been deployed to tackle a wildfire northwest of Los Angeles that has burned about 1,200 acres of land.

The fire in the Solimar Beach area of Ventura County has led to the evacuation of some local residents, but no injuries have so far been reported.

The fire was less than 10 per cent contained on Saturday and it will take at least three days to get it under control, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Helicopters and fixed-wing tankers were helping to battle the blaze with water drops.

The fire has forced the temporary closure of parts US Highway 101, county fire department officials told a news conference.

The fire started at around 11 pm local time on Friday (3am GMT on Saturday) near Ventura.

Strong winds as high as 50 miles per hour and dry vegetation caused it to grow rapidly, fire officials said