Wildfire along California’s Big Sur forces evacuations

BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — Strong winds pushed a wildfire that broke out in the rugged mountains above Big Sur to the sea, forcing hundreds of residents on this precarious stretch of the California coast to evacuate. Fire officials say the fire broke out Friday night in a canyon and quickly burned 1,500 acres of brush and redwood trees. Authorities issued evacuation orders for about 500 residents and shut a stretch of Highway 1, including Bixby Bridge, the tall concrete bridge that has been featured in car commercials, movies and TV shows. Strong winds were recorded across the San Francisco Bay Area, knocking down trees and power lines and causing outages to at least 18,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers.