The fire reportedly started shortly before 3 p.m. PT on Thursday afternoon in Whittier’s Sycamore Park. Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) arrived to find the blaze had already grown to cover two acres, with flames reportedly running uphill.

The inferno was soon upgraded to a two-alarm event, the department said. Eventually, the fire was being battled by more than 200 firefighters and numerous other first responders.

At its peak, the fire grew to seven acres and engulfed a pair of nearby homes. Firefighters were able to save a number of houses in the neighborhood, according to KTTV-TV, but these two initial houses were “completely destroyed.”

“Firefighters are working hard to extinguish fire in those homes, while containing the lateral spread of the blaze,” department officials said.

As the hours passed, LACoFD firefighters were able to push back the flames while saving houses. By 4:30 p.m. PT, the department announced that the blaze had shrunk from seven acres down to four, adding that, “Forward progress of the #SycamoreFire has been stopped.”

While the fire is not completely out yet, the LACoFD stated that they had contained approximately 20 percent of the total blaze, with crews continuing to work on battling the flames.

In addition to the two homes that were lost, the LACoFD added that one additional home sustained “some damage.”

An evacuation advisory for the area has not been ordered.

It is unclear at this time what caused the fire. However, dry conditions throughout Southern California, combined with unseasonably hot temperatures and gusting winds, has provided an ample breeding ground for wildfires.

Los Angeles recorded a daily high of 87 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday—averaging 20 degrees higher than normal February weather, according to U.S. climate data.

As a result, a number of fires broke out across the region.

One notable blaze occurred near Laguna Beach, with residents in the area ordered to evacuate as strong winds propelled a 7-acre fire.

“Homes are currently threatened with the possibility of more structures threatened if the fire spreads,” the city of Laguna Beach said in a statement. As a result, residents of multiple Laguna Beach areas were pushed out as the fire grew to cover approximately 145 acres.

As firefighters continued to battle the blaze, officials expressed hope late Thursday that the fire was beginning to calm down.

“It is looking very good,” Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy told local reporters. “The spread has slowed.”

“​​I’m satisfied with the number of resources we have at scene and en route and I’m feeling confident we’ve got a pretty good handle on this fire,” Fennessy added.

The 2022 wildfire season in California has seen multiple conflagrations spark up due to dry conditions.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has recorded 193 official fire incidents have been recorded so far this year, totaling approximately 723 acres of land burned across the state with no confirmed fatalities.

Newsweek has reached out to the LACoFD for comment.