San Francisco: California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in five counties due to aggressive wildfires continuing to ravage the areas.
Emergency was declared in Fresno, Madera and Mariposa counties on Sunday due to the Creek Fire, which exploded to 73,278 acres in 30 hours with 0 per cent containment so far, reports Xinhua news agency.
Newsom also imposed the state of emergency for San Bernardino County due to the El Dorado Fire and for San Diego County over the Valley Fire,
Two blazes have consumed over 7,000 and 4,000 acres till Sunday night.
The declaration will help the state quickly deploy additional resources to assist in fighting the fires and keeping people and structures safe.
At least 224 people were rescued from the communities and camping sites surrounded by the fast moving Creek Fire on Sunday morning.
Local media reported local agencies and the National Guard used resources on land and air, including Blackhawk choppers and a Chinook.
About 20 evacuees had injuries ranging from broken bones to burns, local ABC 30 news channel reported on Sunday night, adding that some 800 firefighters are battling the fire, which is threatening over 3,000 structures.
Besides these three fires, about two dozen more wildfires are raging in California, fueled by the heat, winds and dry brush.
Captain Richard Cordova from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said that more than 2,094,955 acres have already been burnt across the state this year.
That is the size of more than 10 New York Cities and broke the all-time record, the official said, warning that the state had not stepped into wildfire season usually starting from October.
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