California’s wildfire, which consists of two blazes in the state’s north, was yesterday declared the biggest in California’s history.
The Mendocino Complex Fire has already engulfed 290,692 acres (117,639 hectares) – almost the size of Los Angeles.
But barely a third of it is under control, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Currently, firefighters are tackling 18 major blazes across the state, battling strong winds and low humidity.
Officials had once hoped they would be able to extinguish the fire by mid-August, but they’ve had to push the expected day back to early September.
The fire has burned 75 buildings and led to thousands of evacuations.
A separate blaze – the Carr fire, further north – has killed at least seven people and destroyed more than 1500 structures. Burning through almost 160,000 acres, it was 47 per cent contained by yesterday.
Meanwhile, more fires have been breaking out, adding to the mammoth workload of fire crews.
The so-called Holy Fire, in southern California, grew dramatically and rapidly on Monday, with two hikers needing to be airlifted to safety.
At least 14,000 firefighters are struggling to contain the multiple outbreaks.
