SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Thousands of people have been told to leave their homes as a new wildfire threatens a group of small communities in far Northern California.
Fire officials say a fire that started around 11:30 a.m. Saturday has already destroyed four homes and burned nearly 11 square miles as it burns near the towns of Manton, Shingletown, and Viola, California.
State fire spokesman Daniel Berlant says 3,500 homes spread out across a rural area along the border of Tehama and Shasta counties are threatened.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but officials say it started after a series of lightning strikes in the area.
The fire is burning in a rugged area of thick forests about 170 miles north of Sacramento.
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