Madre blaze becomes California’s largest wildfire of the year

• The Madre Fire, which ignited on Wednesday in central California, has rapidly become the state's largest wildfire this year.
• The blaze has expanded to cover over 55 square miles (142 square kilometres) of grasslands and is currently only 5 per cent contained.
• Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for small communities near State Route 166 as the fire advances towards the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
• The fire's rapid spread is attributed to dry, hot weather and strong summer gusts, which can reach up to 40 mph, posing significant challenges for firefighters in 35 degrees Celsius heat.
• Separately, the Wolf Fire in Southern California's Riverside County has charred over 3.7 square miles and is 55 per cent contained.

IN FULL

Largest wildfire blaze in California continues to explode in size