A wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles is tearing through thousands of acres and forcing evacuations after igniting Thursday afternoon. It’s one of several notable fires in the West that have undergone explosive growth in recent weeks,

A rapidly growing wildfire in Southern California has prompted thousands of residents to be evacuated and it continues to grow as heat and dry conditions fuel the rapid spread. The Canyon Fire ignited early Thursday afternoon and by Friday it had expanded to about 4,850 acres, according to The New York Times.