A wildfire is tearing through the mountains north of LA, with thousands under evacuation orders

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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 exhibited explosive growth in recent weeks, spurred by searing heat and dry, gusty wind.

The Canyon Fire started around 1:30 p.m. PT Thursday and quickly burned through more than 4,800 acres of land by Thursday night, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. It was spreading east with 0% containment at that time.

A majority of the fire’s extreme growth unfolded in just over an hour, burning an area bigger than a football field every two seconds. That rate of fire spread would burn through