Firefighters continue battling a wildfire on the Central Coast that has charred 52,000 acres of land and closed a major highway.
The Madre Fire exploded in size Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
The wind-whipped blaze is burning north of Highway 166, about 20 miles northwest of New Cuyama. It started around 1 p.m. Wednesday, and the wind rapidly spread the flames.
Highway 166 is closed between Santa Maria and New Cuyama, and the Bureau of Land Management has closed the Carrizo Plain National Monument to visitors.
More than 300 firefighters, aided by air tankers and helicopters, are fighting the fire.
The area is sparsely populated, but evacuation orders were issued for some rural areas of San Luis Obispo County.
