Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- A fire burning in Los Angeles County grew more than six-fold overnight, threatening more than 10,000 homes and the Mount Wilson observatory as firefighters battle wind gusts and continued high temperatures, officials said.

The Station fire, which has now consumed 35,200 acres (14,245 hectares) since it began four days ago in the Angeles National Forest, spread rapidly with flames as long as 80 feet (24 meters), the U.S. Forest Service said on its Web site. The fire had charred 5,500 acres as of yesterday morning.

The fire is now threatening the city of Acton, California, and local homes are being evacuated, said Jennifer Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Angeles National Forest. Three injuries have been reported for the blaze, she said.

“The temperatures are still high and the winds are pushing the fire to the north,” Sanchez said in a phone interview.

The fire is still only 5 percent contained, and may be finally under control on Sept. 8, the forest service said on its Web site. The blaze is also threatening 500 commercial properties and 2,000 other structures, the agency said.

Firefighters likely aren’t going to receive much help today with temperatures expected to remain in the mid-90 degree Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) range as a high-pressure system slowly weakens during the next several days, said Heather Buchman, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.com in State College, Pennsylvania. The high pressure is preventing cooler, moist air from the ocean from flowing onshore, keeping humidity levels low, she said.

Eight Major Blazes

The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles/Oxnard, California, issued another red flag warning until 9 p.m. local time for the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. This means temperatures hovering around 100 degrees and persistent low humidity could result in dangerous fire conditions.

As of yesterday, California had more than 5,200 firefighters battling eight major blazes across the state that burned more than 21,000 acres, the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. More than 1,800 are battling the Station fire with the help of 12 helicopters and 10 tanker aircraft, Sanchez said.

The other large Los Angeles County blaze was the Morris fire, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of Azusa, which has scorched 2,168 acres since Aug. 25. It was 95 percent contained as of 7:40 a.m. local time, the California fire agency said on its Web site.

State of Emergency

The Gloria blaze in San Benito County, east of Gonzales, California, is 80 percent contained today, up from 60 percent yesterday, Cal Fire said. The fire has burned 6,437 acres, the agency said.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today visited the site of the Station fire and was briefed on the effort to damp blazes throughout the state. Two days ago, he declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Monterey counties because of the fires.

“California has the best and bravest firefighters on the front lines protecting our residents,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement released by his office.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Hart in Washington at dahart@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 30, 2009 15:07 EDT