Fire prompts evacuations in the Tahoe National Forest

EMIGRANT GAP, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say homes and campgrounds are being evacuated because of a rapidly-growing wildfire in Northern California.

The Placer County Sheriff's Department says the wildfire is spreading quickly in the Tahoe National Forest near Emigrant Gap, which is about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

The fire had grown to 650 acres as of 8:30 p.m. Monday according to the Placer County Sheriff Department.

Cal Fire officials tell the Sacramento Bee that they had dispatched air tankers, a helicopter and strike crews to assist the U.S. Forest Service's fire management team.

The helicopter is searching for a person believed to have been left behind near the origin of the so-called North Fire.

Winds have played a role in whipping up wildfires, but the National Weather Service expects winds to remain light in the region.

The fire appears to have started less than a mile from the North Fork Campground, near a popular section that's by a swimming hole, according to Michael Woodbridge, spokesperson for the Tahoe National Forest.

Deputies asked drivers to stay out of the area.