A vegetation fire near Atascadero is threatening structures and causing evacuations in northern in San Luis Obispo County, California.

The Madre Fire in SLO County is California’s largest wildfire of the year—burning 52,592 acres with 10% containment. Get updates on evacuations and fire conditions.

“We found that actually there were two lightning strikes to each end of the townhome unit,” Fairfax County Fire and Rescued Battalion Chief David Bentley said.

Fairfax County is expanding its solar initiatives with two projects in Reston and Lorton that officials say will strengthen the county’s commitment to renewable energy.

Two battalion chiefs in Polk County Fire Rescue will be promoted to deputy chiefs, the agency said.

The Madre fire surpassed 35,000 burned acres on Thursday, marking the biggest blaze in California this year.

The Madre Fire originated near Highway 166 on Wednesday and continued to grow throughout the day Thursday.

VIIRS/MODIS satellite hotspot data is updated daily in the morning with the red dots indicating which direction the fire is moving. The color of the dots shows how recent the data is (red is today ...

The Madre Fire was reported shortly after noon Wednesday, July 2, along Highway 166 about 25 miles east of Santa Maria.