A fast-moving California wildfire exploded to become the state’s biggest of the year, forcing evacuations and the closure of a highway, and evoking memories of the devastating blazes that laid waste to parts of the state in January.

The fire rapidly spread to over 35,000 acres overnight as it burned through grasslands in a section of the Los Padres National Park. By around 9:30 p.m. PT on July 3, the fire expanded to nearly 52,