Wildfires In Northern California Spread Quickly, Threaten 2,000 Homes

The fire east of Sacramento had burned through 111 square miles, up from 44 square miles on Wednesday when it forced additional evacuations, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It was only 5 percent contained, according to Reuters.

Hundreds of homes in Pollock Pines, 60 miles east of Sacramento, were under evacuation orders, Reuters reported. The fire grew towards the northwest and away from the towns on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

The so-called King Fire, the most menacing of 11 major wildfires raging across the drought-parched state, has scorched nearly 28,000 acres of state land and the El Dorado National Forest since it erupted Saturday, fire officials said, according to Reuters.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency late Wednesday, freeing up funds for the two fires, according to Reuters. Brown had also secured federal grants to fight each of them.

In the town of Weed, a blaze began Monday and raged across the community and destroyed 110 homes and damaged another 90, Reuters reported. Four firefighters lost their homes.

The new figures were a marked increase from the initial estimate that a total of 150 structures had been destroyed or damaged in the blaze that rapidly swept across the town, according to Reuters.

Two churches, a community center and the library also burned to the ground, while an elementary school and the city's last wood-products mill were damaged by flames that had been pushed by 40-mph winds, Reuters reported.

California's fire season normally runs from May to October, and this year is on track to be the most destructive on record, state fire managers say, according to Reuters.