Wildfire prompts evacuation orders for rural community in northern California

PALERMO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in rural northern California are ordering evacuations due to a fast-moving wildfire threatening the community of Palermo. The town is near Paradise, where the state’s deadliest wildfire struck six years ago. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said Monday the fire covered about 1 square mile in the initial hours after the flames were first reported. The blaze is being called the Apache Fire. Its cause is under investigation. Two smaller spot fires also burned. Palermo is part of Butte County, which is also home to Paradise, where California’s deadliest wildfire killed 85 people and destroyed 11,000 homes in 2018.