California wildfires spread to 54,000 acres

Los Angeles, Aug 3: Massive wildfires in California state have spread across 54,000 acres west of capital Sacramento, the media reported on Monday. The flames in Lake, Colusa and Yolo counties, were just five percent contained on Sunday, California fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. No injuries were reported, however more than 12,000 people were ordered to evacuate and several highways were closed, NBC News quoted Berlant as saying. Dozens of buildings - including two-dozen homes - were destroyed, and 6,000 more buildings remained threatened by the fire, which was sparked in the drought-stricken state on Wednesday and exploded in size amid dry, windy conditions on Saturday, Berlant said. This "is a very dangerous fire", he said. Nearly 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, and another 6,000 personnel were working to quell 20 additional large fires across the state, stretching from the San Diego to just south of the Oregon border, the spokesperon said late Sunday. California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency Friday, mobilising the National Guard to support the disaster response.