A wildfire in Central California continued to burn Monday and expanded to about 80,000 acres over the holiday weekend, according to Cal Fire.
The Madre Fire, California’s largest blaze so far this year, started Wednesday in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. By Friday, it had swiftly grown to nearly 71,000 acres, and while firefighters were able to slow its progress over the weekend, it still grew by about 9,000 acres, Cal Fire said.
Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for several small communities near State Route 166 as flames moved through hilly terrain toward the Carrizo Plain National Monument, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Santa Maria…