Fires have torched nearly one million acres, a larger area than Rhode Island. Firefighters are struggling to slow the spread of wildfires that have torched nearly one million acres in California and are growing further, forcing more than 119,000 people from their homes and testing the state’s firefighting abilities. Those are among two dozen major fires pulling firefighters in all directions, forcing Gov. Gavin Newsom to request more firefighters from as far away as the East Coast and Australia. The fires have already burned through an area of land larger than Rhode Island.

Source: New York Times August 22, 2020 13:26 UTC