A wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles is tearing through thousands of acres and forcing evacuations after igniting Thursday afternoon. It’s one of several notable fires in the West that have undergone explosive growth in recent weeks,

A fast-growing brush fire is forcing thousands of people to evacuate in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles.

The Canyon Fire ignited Thursday afternoon and grew to more than 7.6 square miles (19.7 square kilometers) by 11 p.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department.