A Southern California wildfire - which authorities say was set by an arsonist with a grudge against a neighbor - doubled in size as crews built fire lines and fought to protect thousands of homes in a lakefront community.

Iran press/ America: Parts of California, Oregon and Nevada are all enduring dangerous levels of air pollution, all because of the wildfires raging out of control in the region.

With huge amounts of dust in the atmosphere, the sunsets in California are currently spectacular. 

However, the pollution is so bad in some locations the air-quality index was classed as "unhealthy" by the US Environmental Protection Agency, meaning "everyone may experience more serious health impacts".

About 5.4 million acres (2.2 million hectares) have been blackened in more than a dozen states during this year’s extremely active wildfire season, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the flames, which have charred more than 18,000 acres (7,280 hectares). Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for the area.

This year, the western US state has already been scarred by its most destructive July wildfire on record, the Carr fire, which destroyed more than 900 structures and killed at least six people.

California has also seen the largest fire in the state's history, the Mendocino Complex fire, which has burned more than 1,200sq kilometres.

Happening so early in the summer, the fire is particularly alarming. Traditionally the most destructive wildfires burn later in the dry season, from September onwards.

However, this early wildfires activity is something that residents of California may have to get used to in the coming years, given the changes that are being seen in the state.

July 2018 was California's hottest month in 124 years of record-keeping, according to the US atmospheric agency, NOAA. Its average for July of 26.5C was 0.1C above the state's previous hottest month on record, July 1931.

 

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