Colby fire
Smoke rises from the Colby fire near Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / January 16, 2014)
As the wildfire near Los Angeles grew to 1,700 acres on Thursday morning, a state of emergency was declared and officials arrested three people in connection with the blaze.
Meanwhile, air quality plummeted beneath the expanding plume of ash and smoke. A news conference was underway at 11 a.m. on the wildfire.
The Los Angeles Times has a team of reporters on the ground.  See the latest real-time updates in our live blog.
PHOTOS: Colby fire rages near Glendora