Northern California wildfire threatens 500 buildings

A firefighter assesses the approaching blaze along the Troost Trail in California’s rural Nevada County (Elias Funez/The Union/AP)

A wildfire that erupted in Northern California forced evacuations as it threatened about 500 homes and other buildings on Tuesday, authorities said.

The Rices Fire erupted near the Yuba River in Nevada County at around 2pm local time and had spread to more than 500 acres (202 hectares) by nightfall, said Unit Chief Brian Estes, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.