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.

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