In the US state of California, a rapidly spreading fire threatens more than 1,200 buildings.

According to the CalFire authority responsible, the so-called Electra Fire spread over an area of ​​almost 16 square kilometers by Tuesday evening.

Around 1,300 firefighters are fighting the flames.

So far, the fire has been contained by five percent, it said.

According to the agency, the fire broke out on Monday, United States Independence Day, about 75 kilometers southeast of the Californian capital Sacramento.

The cause was therefore initially unknown.

The authority had previously warned of the fire hazard from fireworks.

As a spokeswoman for the American energy supplier Pacific Gas & Electric told the Los Angeles Times, parts of the power grid were damaged.

More than 12,000 people would have had no electricity on Tuesday afternoon.

The authorities urged residents in the affected areas to get to safety.

The southwestern United States has been plagued by wildfires for weeks, which authorities say are being helped by the ongoing drought.

In the past, California's bushfire season usually started in October.