Wildfire burns 250 acres of ranchland north of LA

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) -- A wildfire has broken out and quickly surged to more than 250 acres in rural ranchland 50 miles north of Los Angeles.

An L.A. County fire spokesman says the blaze was reported Tuesday night in Palmdale, where temperatures are in the upper 70s and winds are at about 10 mph, gusting up to 20 mph.

The area has ranch homes that firefighters are working to protect, but none have burned, and the blaze is moving away from them. No evacuations have been ordered.

About 200 firefighters are at the scene, and helicopters flying in the darkness are dropping water.

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