CAMARILLO, California (AP) – A wildfire tearing through a coastal region in Southern California nearly tripled in size as high temperatures fueled the flames, but an expected weekend change in the weather will likely give crews manning the fire lines much-needed assistance.

The fire 50 miles  (80 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles mushroomed to 43 square miles  (111 square kilometers) Friday as 900 firefighters used engines, aircraft, bulldozers and other equipment to battle the flames.

Forecasters said a weekend of increased humidity should help teams fighting the early-season blaze make gains Saturday.

Despite its size and speed of growth, the fire that broke out Thursday and quickly moved through the Camarillo Springs area has caused damage to just 15 structures, though it's threatening 2,000 homes.

The type of blaze that hit the area usually doesn't strike Southern California wild-land until September or October, after the summer has dried out hillside vegetation. But the state has seen a severe drought during the past year, with the water content of California's snowpack only 17 percent of normal.

That created late-summer conditions by May, and when hot winds and high temperatures arrived this week, the spring flames that firefighters routinely knock down once or twice a year quickly roared up a hillside _ out of control.

On Friday, the wildfire stormed back through canyons toward inland neighborhoods when winds reversed direction.

The blaze is one of more than 680 wildfires in the state so far this year _ about 200 more than average.