California wildfire prompts evacuations

A growing wildfire at a Northern California lake community has scorched hundreds of acres and prompted officials to evacuate residents.

The wildfire started south of Lower Lake near the Clayton Creek area on Saturday.

By 5:45 p.m., the fire was estimated to have affected up to 60 acres, according to reports.

"The fuels are extremely dry," said Suzie Blankenship, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "This is the time of year when everybody has to be extra cautious."

Firefighters were using water and retardant-dropping air tankers to keep the fire away from homes north of the lake, Blankenship added.

Last year, a wildfire at Lower Lake prompted evacuations after it ravaged most of rural Lake County and parts of Napa County about 90 miles north of San Francisco.

Four people were killed in the fire which destroyed over 1,300 homes and burned 120 square miles.

On Saturday, there was another wildfire in central California, which forced residents of 135 homes south of Lake Nacimiento to leave their homes, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's office said.

The fire has so far burned at least 850 acres but it is expected to be fully contained on Sunday.

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