California fire of hell rages on

LOS ANGELES: California’s biggest wildfire on record continued to rage yesterday as hot and windy conditions challenged thousands of fire crews battling eight major blazes burning out of control across the state.

The Mendocino Complex grew to span 114 526 hectares on Monday as two wildfires merged at the southern tip of the Mendocino National Forest, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

It is the largest of eight major fires burning out of control across California, prompting US President Donald Trump to declare a “major disaster” in the state.

The size of the fire has surpassed last year’s Thomas Fire, which burnt 114 078ha in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, destroying at least a 1 000 structures.

The Mendocino complex has burnt 75 homes and forced thousands to be evacuated. Temperatures could reach 43ºC in a few days with gusty winds fanning flames, the weather service said.

The 3 900 crews battling the Mendocino Complex on Monday were focusing on keeping flames from breaking through fire lines

The Carr Fire, which torched 66 535ha in the Shasta-Trinity region north of Sacramento since starting on July 23, was 47% contained.

“California wildfires are being magnified and made so much worse by bad environmental laws not allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilised,” Trump tweeted.