Wildfire in U.S. Northern California prompts evacuations, road closures

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire in Siskiyou County, U.S. Northern California, prompted evacuations and road closures, officials said on Wednesday.

Officials with the U.S. Forest Services estimated the size of the blaze, known as the Head Fire, to be around 2,700 acres (about 11 square kilometers) as of Wednesday.

The fire exploded Tuesday night in the Klamath National Forest, which covers more than 2,650 square miles (about 6,863 square kilometers) in Northern California and Southern Oregon.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation orders for several areas in Selad Valley and the vicinity of Hamburg about 20 miles from the California-Oregon state line. Highway 96 and the Scott River Road were closed.

Some smaller lightning-caused fires were reported Tuesday in Mendocino County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.