2 killed in California’s largest wildfire in history

CLEARLAKE OAKS, United States: The two blazes mercilessly charring northern California have claimed the lives of two people, growing so rapidly that they became the US state’s largest in recorded history, authorities said.

Collectively dubbed the Mendocino Complex, the wildfires have burned through 114,850 hectares -- an area nearly the size of the sprawling city of Los Angeles -- and are just 30 percent

authority CalFire.

“Today a higher pressure system brought warmer weather, drying, and strong winds to the region,” CalFire said in an evening update.

records in the fire- prone, most populous US state in as many years, following the Thomas Fire in December 2017, which stood at 281,893 acres.

Further north in the state, the deadly Carr Fire has scorched more than 164,400 acres of land since July 23, and killed another seven people along the way.

Its intensity was so great at one point, that it generated a torna-

own weather system. Authorities say it was triggered by the “mechanical failure of a in tinderbox-dry conditions. 1,600 buildings, including some

were battling the blazes across the state.

Several thousand people have

across the state, although some have been given permission in recent days to return to their homes.

extremely aggressive, extremely dangerous,” said Scott McLean, a deputy chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

President Donald Trump raised eyebrows by tweeting about

- ing there was not enough water to

the blame on environmental laws, not climate change.

In fact, “we have plenty of

let’s be clear: It’s our changing climate that is leading to more severe and destructive fires,” Daniel Berlant, CalFire assistant deputy director, told TheNew YorkTimes.