California fire officials said the state hit the astonishing milestone Sunday with about two months remaining in the fire season. The previous record was set two years ago when wildfires destroyed 1.67 million acres (2,609 square miles).
[Ads /]
Flames have scorched an area larger than Connecticut. About 17,000 firefighters are still battling nearly two dozen major blazes throughout the state.
RELATED: California approaching 4 million acres burned this year
Virtually all the damage has occurred since mid-August, when five of the six largest fires in state history erupted. Lightning strikes caused some of the most devastating blazes. The wildfires have incinerated hundreds of homes and killed 31 people but large parts of them are burning in largely unpopulated land.
Many of the most destructive fires sparked in Northern California, where hills and mountains dotted with many dead trees have provided plenty of fuel for fires igniting amid high temperatures and strong winds fanning the flames. Thick, gray smoke from the blazes has fouled the air in many hill communities and major cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Scientists say climate change has made California much drier, meaning trees and other plants are more flammable.
RELATED: Bay Area Wildfires: Firefighters battle scorching heat, tough terrain at all hours of the night amid Glass Fire
Fire officials said the Glass Fire burning in wine country for the past week was their top priority.
Three fires, driven by strong winds and high temperatures, merged into one tearing into vineyards and forested mountain areas, including part of the city of Santa Rosa. Thousands of people were under evacuation orders, including the entire population of Calistoga, a town of 5,000.
App users: For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window
[Ads /]
RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
- Track wildfires across Bay Area with this interactive map
- Here are all the fires burning in the Bay Area right now
- Track air quality levels impacted by smoke from wildfires
- Latest on LNU, CZU and SCU Complex Fire evacuations, road closures
- WATCH: Staggering footage shows lightning storm that started complex fires
- Photos show scope of Bay Area wildfires' devastation
- Track air quality levels in the Bay Area
- How LNU, CZU & SCU Lightning Complex Bay Area fires got their names
- How to prepare for a wildfire evacuation
- Comparing the 10 biggest wildfires in California history
- Most destructive California wildfires in history
- Camp Fire is deadliest wildfire in California history
- How are wildfires started? A look at the causes of some of the worst in California history
- Safety tips to remember when returning home after wildfire
- How to prepare your pets in case of disaster
- The difference between containing and controlling a wildfire
[Ads /]
VIDEO: Driver captures apocalyptic scene driving through Hennessey Fire in Napa Co.
VIDEO: Apocalyptic scene driving through Hennessey Fire