Caldor Fire in California Grows Over 10 Times in Size in 2 Days

Fueled by wind and dry conditions, the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County in California had scorched 65,474 acres as of Thursday, over 10 times in size from two days ago

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Spotting and rollout continued to be the main contributor to fire spread throughout Wednesday evening and multiple new spot fires were expected Thursday, so the blaze sparked Saturday had potential to grow further.

The latest data released by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services Thursday morning showed that 25,000 people had been evacuated in El Dorado County due to the fast-moving fire. There are 653 firefighters battling the fire, which is zero percent contained.

As of Thursday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said 86 structures had been confirmed destroyed by the fire and nearly 7,000 structures remain threatened.

Meanwhile, the Dixie Fire, California's second-largest in history which has been active for more than a month, also swelled more than 60,000 acres in two days. It prompted a new round of evacuation orders Wednesday as gusty winds helped spread the fire within about 15 km of Susanville, a town with 15,000 residents.

The Dixie Fire, the U.S. largest active fire, burned down 678,369 acres with 35 percent containment as of Thursday, about three times the size of Manhattan. Its flames destroyed 645 single residences and threatened at least 16,085 structures. Three first responders have been injured fighting the fire.

"The Dixie Fire is the first fire that we're aware of that has burned from the west side of the mountain range all the way over and to the valley floor on the east side of the mountain range... It is exceedingly resistant to control," Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said.

He also explained that the Dixie Fire was the first wildfire burned across the range of Sierra Nevada in history. Located in the Western United States, this mountain range runs 400 miles north-south and is approximately 70 miles across east-west.