Orange County firefighters rushed to a Laguna Niguel neighborhood to extinguish flames burning near homes Wednesday afternoon. The brush fire started on the hillside near Ridgeway Avenue and Alcott Place at around 3:30 p.m. Crews quickly doused the flames as the fire burned vegetation dangerously close to several homes.

Extreme heat across the U.S. Southwest will build on Wednesday and is expected to last for several days. In Southern California, there are major fire and health concerns.