California wildfire forces 10,000 to evacuate

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Authorities ordered more than 10,000 residents of Paradise, California, to leave their homes on Wednesday as a stubborn wildfire threatened to jump a river and spread into town where a blaze destroyed 74 homes in June. A message on Paradise's Web site by the town manager urged a speedy exit: "Citizens need to immediately evacuate by gathering personal belongings that will fit in your vehicle." The so-called Butte Lightning Complex fire near Paradise, 86 miles north of Sacramento, is one of more than 300 wildfires burning across California after lightning storms swept across the state last month sparking blazes in wilderness areas thick with bone-dry brush and trees. The Butte fire has burned 49,000 acres since starting June 21, destroyed at least 50 structures including 40 homes and now threatens an... [read full story]