Wildfires in the USA

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Thousands ordered to evacuate as Southern California wildfire threatens homes The Sandy Fire was reported in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Read more.

Why this matters: By mid-afternoon the wind-driven wildfire consumed more than 500 acres of dry brush. Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for several neighborhoods in Simi Valley, a city of more than 125,000 people. The cause is under investigation.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Photos show firefighters battling Southern California blaze   WATCH: Brush fire grows quickly   New Mexico wildfire sparked by fatal medical plane crash spreads quickly in rural area

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California wildfires

Multiple wildfires have prompted evacuation warnings for tens of thousands in Southern California. A massive blaze that officials say was "human-caused" has scorched nearly a third of Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park, threatening a fragile ecosystem that is home to dozens of rare plants and animals — including some found nowhere else on Earth. Read more.

WATCH: More than a dozen fires rage across California

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Burning up

Homes destroyed in Georgia. 600,000 acres charred in Nebraska. Evacuations near Los Angeles. Wildfire season is off to a fast start, and experts said things are likely to get worse in the coming months.