**A wildfire in the Santa Cruz mountains of northern California has forced about 600 people to flee their homes.**Authorities issued an evacuation order for the community of Bonny Doon, about 50 miles (80km) south-east of San Francisco, state fire officials said.
Residents of the nearby community of Swanton have also been told to leave.
The blaze, knock as the Lockheed Fire, started on Wednesday evening and has so far burned about 1,200 acres as it spreads west, authorities said.
“It is a significant fire that is burning in a rural, inaccessible, steep terrain with vegetation that has been stressed by the drought,” said Cal Fire spokeswoman Julie Hutchinson.
“It is like having firewood in your fireplace that is dry and ready to burn.”
The fire broke out in a steep hillside area where several upmarket homes are located. About 300 firefighters are involved in the operation.
A shelter for evacuees has been set up in Santa Cruz, about eight miles (13km) from Bonny Doon.
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