LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A brush fire broke out Thursday afternoon in southern California, forcing local authorities to issue evacuation orders.

The fire, dubbed Tick Fire, was reported in the city of Santa Clarita, 60 km northwest of downtown Los Angeles and moved quickly downhill toward Canyon Country, a residential community nearby.

The local KTLA news channel reported that the flames had spread to 200 acres (0.8 square km) within 20 minutes and scorched over 850 acres (3.4 square km) by 3:00 p.m. local time.

Aerial video from local ABC7 news channel showed that some outdoor structures were damaged and the flames were dangerously close to homes in some areas. At least one home appeared to be on fire.

Hundreds of firefighter from Los Angeles County and Orange County were battling the blaze with four airtankers.

The fire came amid red flag warnings issued for some areas in Southern California due to extreme wildfire risk.