Authorities have said that residents were racing to their cars and fleeing as a wildfire advanced toward a neighborhood in Palmdale, Calif.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that the Crown fire, which started on Thursday, has burned more than 13,000 acres and destroyed several structures. Water-dropping helicopters were being used in the battle to keep the flames from entering the Rancho Vista subdivision as the fire jumped the California Aqueduct north of Los Angeles.

It has been reported that the fire threatened power lines, causing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to ask residents to reduce their energy usage wherever possible.

Brooks Baker, a spokesman for the agency, said, "We're asking people to help care for our infrastructure while this fire is burning, as we wait for the potential threat to diminish."

The Times also said that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the area on Friday and then told reporters the fire had been 20 percent contained.

Schwarzenegger said, "Even though we have a budget crunch, everyone should be assured that we have money available for fighting these fires. Public safety is our No. 1 priority."

Officials have said that smoke from several fires in the Los Angeles Basin was expected to swathe the region through the weekend, leading to health warnings. The Times has reported that in addition, several school athletic programs canceled outdoor activities such as sports and band practices because of the dirty air.

Officials have further said that smoke from a fire that broke out Tuesday north of Azusa, Calif., and a fire that broke out Wednesday north of La Canada Flintridge, Calif., raised air pollution levels to unhealthy points in the San Gabriel Valley as well as parts of Los Angeles. (With Inputs from Agencies)