California battles biggest wildfire of the year
The "Madre Fire" broke out on Wednesday in San Luis Obispo, a rural county in the heart of the US state. Around 200 people were ordered to evacuate, with dozens of buildings threatened by the flames.
It is the largest blaze so far this year in California, which was scarred by wildfires that destroyed swaths of Los Angeles at the start of the year.
The fire has spread quickly. In 24 hours, it has ravaged over 52,000 acres, according to the state's fire service Cal Fire.
Images from the state warning system showed thick columns of black smoke overhanging mountains in the hilly, remote region.
"The state will always show up to protect all communities - no matter where a fire begins," California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X, announcing the deployment of reinforcements.
The "Madre Fire" comes on the heels of several other blazes, raising fears of a difficult summer ahead for the state already traumatised by the wildfires that killed 30 people in January.
It was an unusually dry winter and spring in southern California, and vegetation is already parched, noted UCLA extreme climate events specialist Daniel Swain in a blog post.
"Given the expectation of even more intense and widespread heat later this summer, that extra month or two of vegetation drying will heavily factor into burning conditions later this season," said Swain.
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