The State : Fire Erupts at Grass Valley

A mountain blaze whipped by hot winds burned 2,000 acres of brush and timber near Grass Valley, about 150 miles northeast of San Francisco, closing California 49 and forcing the evacuation of rural residents, authorities said. There were no reports of injuries. The fast-moving blaze, described by authorities as a wall of fire half a mile long, was headed toward affluent Lake Wildwood, a residential area of about 2,000 homes. “We have a major fire here,” said John Crabtree, a spokesman for the state Forestry Department. “It is not contained or controlled and the situation is changing every 30 minutes.”