Erratic winds challenge firefighters battling two major California blazes

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. (AP) — A massive wildfire burning out of control in California’s Mojave National Preserve is spreading rapidly amid erratic winds. Meanwhile, firefighters reported progress Sunday against another major blaze to the southwest that prompted evacuations. The York Fire that erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the preserve was sending up a huge plume of smoke visible across the state line in Nevada. Flames have charred more than 110 square miles of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland. To the southwest, the Bonny Fire was holding steady at about 3.4 square miles in rugged hills of Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate Saturday.