Authorities evacuate hundreds of residents as wildfire burns southern California

A wildfire that broke out in mountains above Big Surr to the sea forced authorities, including firefighters, volunteer groups and other agencies, to evacuate hundreds of citizens in southern California.
Cecile Juliette, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection confirmed that the fire quickly burned at least 2.3 square miles (6 square kilometers) of brush and redwood trees.
“The fire lined up with the wind and the terrain and that gave the fire a lot of energy to make a big run,” she said Saturday.
Authorities made contact with about 500 residents, urging them to evacuate the sparsely populated area between Carmel and Big Sur. Only 5% of the blaze could be controlled.
“The winds have died down and that has worked in our favor,” she said.
Authorities shut a stretch of Highway 1 with no estimated time for reopening. The highway along Big Sur is prone to closures due to fire and mudslides from heavy rain that made portions of the roadway collapse to the sea last year and in 2017.