New wildfire near Los Angeles explodes to 8,000 acres, forces evacuations

In just a few hours on Wednesday the new fire grew to more than half the size of the Eaton Fire, one of the two monster conflagrations that have ravaged the Los Angeles area.

A new wildfire that broke out north of Los Angeles on Wednesday rapidly spread to more than 8,000 acres (32 square km), fueled by strong winds and dry brush, forcing mandatory evacuation orders for more than 19,000 people.