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Wildfire Forces Closure Of Highway Linking Sacramento To Lake Tahoe; Evacuations Underway

KYBURZ (CBS SF) -- A wildfire has led to the closure of a major highway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, and brought a handful of mandatory evacuations.

The blaze broke out at about 2 p.m. Thursday near South Lake Tahoe and within a few hours had grown to about 100 acres in heavy timber along steep canyon walls. It was 5 percent contained.

The fire is burning on both sides of U.S. Highway 50, which has been shut down in both directions.

The U.S. Forest Service says some mandatory evacuations have been called for in the rural area, but it isn't immediately clear how many homes or people are affected.

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