A wildfire burning outside Los Angeles has doubled in size in less than 24 hours, firefighters said Thursday as they endured yet another day of blistering heat in the western United States.

Thousands of people have been told to evacuate in the face of the growing Fairview Fire, which has now spread to 19,000 acres (7,700 hectares).

"Active fire behavior occurred in the east, south, and north portions of the incident," Cal Fire said.

"Fire will become active with primary movement to the east. Steep drainages will aid the spread with the up canyon/up slope winds and heavy fuels."

Two people are known to have died in the blaze, which erupted on Monday, the midpoint of a heat wave which has lasted more than a week and seen temperatures repeatedly exceed 110 Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) in parts of California, Nevada and Arizona.

The searing heat has put enormous strain on California's electrical grid, as households crank up the air conditioning.

That has led to daily calls for consumers to conserve power to avoid blackouts, including text alerts sent to mobile phones.

The grid operator has hailed public co-operation which it said has helped keep the lights on throughout the state all week.

Another "Flex Alert" was issued Thursday, asking for thermostats to be raised, and major appliances to be switched off during peak hours.

Thursday's call was of longer duration than previous alerts, with a request to conserve power between 3:00 pm and 10:00 pm -- two hours longer.

"The state and much of the West is enduring an historically long and record-breaking heat wave, straining the grid from high electricity use," California Independent Service Operator said.

"The Flex Alert is in effect for extended hours because of projected supply deficiencies during that time."

Forecasters say the heat wave will begin to dissipate over the coming days, but warned California was not out of the woods yet.

"Dangerous heat also continues to impact the Golden State as high temperatures are once again forecast to reach well into the triple digits both today and Friday, particularly over interior valley regions," the National Weather Service said.

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Two dead, thousands told to flee California wildfire
Los Angeles (AFP) Sept 6, 2022
At least two people are dead and thousands have been ordered to flee a rapidly spreading fire in California, with the region's oppressive heatwave expected to peak Tuesday. Several buildings were destroyed as the Fairview fire erupted southeast of Los Angeles, racing to consume 2,400 acres (1,000 hectares) in less than 24 hours. Firefighters said two people were known to have died in the blaze, and one person had been hospitalized with burn injuries. More than 3,000 homes are under orders to ... read more