Hundreds of homes and buildings destroyed as wild fires continue to burn through California

More than 300 properties have been damaged by a devastating wild fire which continues to burn outside Los Angeles, California.

The Blue Cut fire began on Tuesday morning (local time) in San Bernardino County, east of LA, and quickly spread as temperatures soared.

Police officials told the Los Angeles Times nearly 100 homes and more than 200 other structures had been destroyed by the blaze.

Environmental experts have blamed the vast amount of long, dry grass in the area for increasing the severity of the fire.

“It contains no water and has 100 percent ignition rate for any spark,” Janet Upton, from the Californian Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told The Washington Post.

“We have this fuse to a bomb,” Ms Upton said.

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The fire is currently 26 percent contained, local fire authorities said.

Since the blaze began more than 80,000 people have been ordered  to evacuate their homes.

Firefighter Mike Wakoski said the fire hit “with an intensity we haven’t seen before”.

Californian governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County.

No deaths have been reported in the blaze, however two firefighters were briefly hospitalised when they became trapped in the Swarthout Canyon Area, according to the San Bernardino Fire Department.

The Red Cross has established shelters for residents forced from their homes.

More than 2000 personnel have been fighting the blaze, NBC reported.

Police investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.