Map: Highway Fire evacuation in the Sierra Nevada

Evacuation orders have been issued for a wildfire that started Wednesday in the Tahoe National Forest near Emigrant Gap. The Highway Fire was reported by Nevada County emergency officials around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and within an hour evacuation orders were in place. As of Thursday morning, the order covered 17 square miles between Highway 20 and the South Fork Yuba River, including the community of Washington. The map above shows the mandatory evacuation order in red. On Thursday, the forest service’s fire officials estimated the burned area at 31 acres....