Twin Blazes Explode to Become Largest Wildfire in California History

Two wildfires burning through Northern California just miles apart have grown to encompass an area the size of Los Angeles, becoming the largest blaze in state history. The Mendocino Complex Fire, which consists of the Ranch and River fires, has burned through 283,800 acres, or about 443 square miles, and was only 30 percent contained as of Monday night. At least 75 homes have been destroyed and dozens of others damaged across three counties. Fire officials say the inferno has continued to swallow up thousands of acres each day and has not slowed down at night, when fires tend to abate. “We broke the record,” Scott McLean, a deputy chief with Cal Fire, was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times. “It is extremely fast, extremely aggressive, extremely dangerous.” The blaze comes amid a particularly dangerous season of wildfires for California, with at least seven people killed in another wildfire that tore through the state last week. Firefighters are battling 16 separate blazes, with a total of 559,000 acres scorched and more than 2,000 homes destroyed. More than 14,000 firefighters have fanned out across the state.