California's Elephant Fire spreads rapidly across three counties in the US

Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place as the fast-moving Elephant Fire continues to spread across parts of Sierra, Lassen and Plumas counties in Northern California.

According to the US Forest Service, the wildfire began east of Loyalton on Saturday and had burned 6,426 acres by Sunday evening.

The Lassen County Sheriff's Office has issued an evacuation order for Zone LAS-451-A near Highway 49 and Dotta Lane.

Evacuation warnings also remain in effect for Zone LAS-671-B in Lassen County and Zones PLU-114 and PLU-104-A in Plumas County. 

Residents in warning areas are not required to leave immediately but are advised to be ready to evacuate if conditions worsen.

The Sierra County Sheriff's Office said it is assisting with evacuation efforts. Although the fire has crossed into Sierra County, no evacuation orders or warnings have been issued there.

The US Forest Service said strong winds, dry vegetation and difficult terrain continue to hamper firefighting efforts. Officials warned there is a high risk of the fire spreading further overnight towards the north and east.

The agency said the advancing flames could threaten Scott Road, Chilcoot and Highway 395 near Hallelujah Junction if conditions remain unfavourable.