A rapidly spreading blaze in Southern California is impacting communities in the Los Angeles area as thousands have been placed under evacuation orders, officials said.

LOS ANGELES — Firefighters in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles made good progress in their battle against a brush fire that has forced thousands of people to evacuate, officials said Friday.

Gifford Fire officials report minimal growth overnight after a rapid expansion of the fire on the northwest side on Thursday.

A rapidly growing wildfire in Southern California has prompted thousands of residents to be evacuated and it continues to ...