California feels the heat as wildfires sweep the Golden State
More than 5,000 firefighters are battling wildfires across California, including the state’s largest ever standalone blaze.
The Dixie Fire started on 13 July and has since consumed more than 463,000 acres (187,369 hectares), an area larger than Greater London.
Just 21 per cent of the blaze is contained, according to officials.
By Saturday evening, the fire had destroyed 370 structures, including residential, commercial and other buildings.
Although no deaths have been reported, three people are missing and thousands have been evacuated, some of those now residing in tents. About 39 per cent of Plumas County is under an evacuation order.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are wildfires across 15 states in the country. There are about 107 large blazes that have burned through more than two million acres.
Although the fire’s cause remains under investigation, Pacific Gas & Electric, a California-based utility company, has admitted that its equipment may have been linked to the devastation.
Authorities have also warned that low moisture levels have made the area vulnerable to fast-spreading fires.
Read more: Wildfires put pressure on insurance premiums as blazes surge