Wildfire Threat Forces Evacuation Of Two California Towns

Residents of two California towns were under mandatory evacuation orders on Thursday as a burgeoning wildfire swept through drought-parched mountains, officials said. The fire in the mountains of San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles was among scores of wildfires raging along the U.S. West Coast, from Alaska through California, in areas hit by drought and suffering record-low snowpack. In Idaho, officials issued a health advisory tied to extreme heat, as weather forecasters predicted record-breaking highs. The northern end of the Sacramento Valley in California was also unusually hot with 111 Fahrenheit (43.9 Celsius) reported in Redding.