The explosive growth of a massive wildfire in northern California's drought-parched Sierra Nevada Mountains this week has stunned firefighters, defying all predictions about how quickly it would grow.

The racehorse pace of the fire, which tripled in size between Wednesday and Thursday as it extended itself by more than ten miles, is likely to be discussed in the firefighting world for years to come.

The King fire, as it's known, has forced the evacuation of 3,000 people and threatens 12,000 homes east of Placerville, about halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. It grew to more than 73,000 acres on Thursday, when the El Dorado County district attorney announced the filing of charges against 37-year-old Wayne Allen Huntsman for allegedly starting