A brush fire in Mariposa County, California, quickly exploded in size to 1,300 acres Friday afternoon, prompting authorities to expand evacuation zones.
Around 3:30 p.m., about an hour and a half after it started, the Oak fire was 60 acres and 0% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. An hour later, it had grown to 611 acres. By 5:38 p.m., the blaze was 1,300 acres and remained uncontained, Cal Fire said.
Some evacuating residents and observers posted photos to Twitter of a pyrocumulus cloud ballooning into the atmosphere. The cloud top reached altitudes of 25,000 to 30,000 feet early Friday night, according to Andy Bollenbacher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.
