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 has engulfed 70,800 acres (28,700 hectares) since Wednesday, and more than 600 personnel and 40 fire engines have been deployed to contain it, Cal Fire, the state’s fire service, said in an update on Friday.

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,