A California wildfire becomes the second largest in the history of the state as 14,000 firefighters work for long hours to stop 500 blazes that have already taken the lives of six people and destroyed one million acres.
The fire started in the wine region of Napa county and has now swallowed Stanislaus, Lake, Yolo, and Sonoma counties.
Authorities warned that the huge wildfire is now the second-biggest wildfire the state has ever experienced.
The LNU Lightning Complex Fire has spread across more than 300,000 acres, destroying trees, homes, and entire neighborhoods.
“This entire LNU Complex is now the second-largest wildland fire in state history,” Sean Kavanaugh, incident commander with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said.
A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration has been issued to boost emergency response to the wildfires and the National Guard has been activated and sent in 240 crew members.
Despite efforts to double the number of fire crews, LNU overtook the SCU Lightning Complex as the biggest wildfire.
The SCU fire is the third-biggest fire in the state history, burning around 292,000 acres.
More than 13,500 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blazes across the state, with 2,600 crews tacking the SCU and LNU fires.
At least 6 people have died, with LNU fire taking the lives of four.
Other states, including Texas, New Mexico, and Oregon, have pledged to send in firefighters.
Experts warn that the worst is yet to come as forecasts show more lightning strikes, gusty winds and dry thunderstorms over the coming days.
The National Weather Service said: “With severe drought and exceptionally dry fuels present, dry thunderstorms could spark additional wildfires this weekend.
“The western US and Great Plains are shrouded under a vast area of smoke due to ongoing wildfires that extend from the Rockies to the West Coast.”
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