California wildfires entering ‘uncharted territory,’ Governor Jerry Brown warns

One fire alone has burned through more than 120,000 acres

Firefighters conduct a controlled burn to defend houses against flames from the Ranch fire (Getty)

The wildfires ravaging California are plunging the state into “uncharted territory”, governor Jerry Brown has said.

At least 16 wildfires are currently burning on the west coast, destroying more than 200,000 acres of land and thousands of buildings. The state has called in 13,000 firefighters, including some from as far away as Florida and Maine.

Mr Brown – like other officials before him – warned on Wednesday that that situation could be the “new normal” for the state.

"We're being surprised. Every year is teaching the fire authorities new lessons," the governor said at a press conference, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "We're in uncharted territory."

Five of the 10 most destructive wildfires in California history have occurred in the last five years, according to state records. Three of them occurred in 2017 alone. The Carr fire, currently ravaging northern California, is the sixth worst wildfire in state history.

Experts previously told The Independent that the growing intensity of these fires was partially due to climate change. As the earth gets hotter, and rain becomes less frequent, the landscape becomes drier – providing perfect kindling for wildfires.

"People are doing everything they can, but nature is very powerful and we're not on the side of nature," Mr Brown said at the press conference.

He added: “We are in for a really rough ride. It’s going to get expensive, it’s going to get dangerous.”

Officials say California has already spent more than a quarter of its annual fire budget in just one month, according to the Associated Press. Six people have died in the fires thus far, including four firefighters – an unprecedented number for this early in the season, according to the Mercury News.

The Carr fire has destroyed more than 1,000 homes and nearly 500 other buildings in just over a week. It has burned through more than 120,000 acres and forced as many as 38,000 people to flee their homes. As of Wednesday, the fire was still only 35 per cent contained.

Meanwhile, two fires in Mendocino County have burned 14 homes and put 12,000 more in jeopardy. Two more fires outside the capital of Sacramento have destroyed 60 acres each. And officials said that three new fires had had sprung up in the Sierra Nevada region.

On a more hopeful note, the National Weather Service tweeted on Wednesday that a cooler and wetter weather pattern was set to hit the Pacific Northwest next week – something the service called “great news for the current wildfire situation”.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Donald Trump was monitoring the fires.