A wildfire in a wilderness area on the Central California coast grew to more than 70,800 acres Friday as the fire-prone state enters the hot and dry months of summer. The Madre Fire, burning in warm conditions in San Luis Obispo County,

The bulk of the fire is threatening the Carrizo Plain National Monument, which is home to several endangered and threatened wildlife and plant species.

California's Madre Fire sparked in the late evening of July 3 but has since grown to the largest in the state this year by the Fourth.