California: explosive wildfire more than doubles in size overnight

An explosive wildfire that erupted in California on Fourth of July more than doubled in size overnight, quickly consuming more than 3,000 acres by Tuesday morning.

The fast-moving Electra fire, burning through the dried grasses and steep, rugged terrain east of Sacramento has forced hundreds of evacuations and continues to pose threats to critical power infrastructure according to officials with the California department of forestry and fire protection (CalFire).

Along with a high rate of spread, the fire had also exhibited extreme behavior, generating large plumes of smoke that impaired air quality into the foothills and the Sierra.

While the risks for ignitions now stretch across seasons, they are highest in summer and autumn months in California, when a rainy reprieve is unlikely and vegetation browns quickly, baked by rising temperatures. But the state is not alone in facing these dangers. Scientists with the NIFC highlighted in their most recent outlook that areas of the Pacific north-west, Hawaii and Texas are also among those expected to face increased threats in the coming months.

Alaska, which has been hammered by an early onset of unusually hot, dry conditions, has already had more than 2m acres charred this year, breaking records and endangering Indigenous communities. More than 200 fires are burning across the state and forecasters have cautioned that this may only be the beginning of a harrowing summer of fire there.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.