California firefighters are battling a wildfire that is larger than Las Vegas, with the US state officially facing one of its worst years for the blazes in recent memory.
Nearly 7500 firefighters are struggling with the so-called King Fire east of Sacramento, which has forced almost 3000 people to evacuate.
The wildfire is only 35 per cent contained and is threatening thousands of buildings and homes.
California is currently in the third year of its worst drought in decades, with flames fanned by high winds in tinder-dry forests.
Some 95 per cent of the fires are found to be caused by humans, whether by accident or design.
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Five major blazes are currently raging across California, including the King Fire, which was started on September 13, allegedly by an arsonist, in El Dorado County, and has so far burned 362 square kilometres - an area bigger than Las Vegas.
The US state recorded 4974 wildfires between January 1 and September 20, according to a spokeswoman for CalFire.
That compares to an average of 3951 fires in the same period over the last five years, said spokeswoman Alyssa Smith.
