Wildfire in California burns dozens of homes

California: A wind-stoked wildfire northeast of Sacramento burned dozens of homes and has forced thousands of fire-weary residents to flee, state officials said.

About 40 homes in the rural Butte County community of Concow were destroyed on Tuesday after erratic winds blew embers across fire containment lines, said Todd Simmons, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman.

Firefighters went door to door early on Tuesday to evacuate 800 to 1,000 residents from Concow and Yankee Hill, about 137 kilometers north of Sacramento.

Winds as high as 48 km/h fanned the blaze, one of about 30 lightning-sparked wildfires in the county that have charred 47,000 acres in recent weeks.