A rapidly moving wildfire broke out early Thursday north of Pyramid Lake, scorching 577 acres, and was 40% contained Thursday evening,

The King Fire broke out shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday in the 45100 block of Copco Avenue, east of the Golden State (5) Freeway and south of state Route 138.

Firefighters from the Los Angeles County, Angeles National Forest and Kern County fire departments were jointly battling the flames amid winds that at times gusted up to 30 miles an hour, according to reports from the scene.

Video showed high, intense flames leaping in the air not far from the Golden State Freeway.

“The winds have been very erratic,” John Miller, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, told reporters at the scene. “This fire went from an acre to 100 acres in an extr

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