Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for some 100 homes north of Los Angeles after a Southern California wildfire erupted Wednesday afternoon, tearing across thousands of acres of forest land with zero containment.
The Lake Hughes blaze, near rural communities some 65 miles north of Los Angeles, was first reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, and rapidly exploded in size in a matter of hours, burning through more than 15.6 square miles (40.4 square kilometers), officials said.
