A pilot has been killed and thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in California after lightning strikes sparked hundreds of fires across the US state
A plane helps in the mission to tackle fires in Napa, CaliforniaFires burned across some 46,000 acres of hills and mountains around Fairfield and the neighbouring town of Vacaville late on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
At least 50 homes and other structures were destroyed and another 50 properties damaged, CalFire said.Diane Bustos said her husband abandoned their car as it caught fire and then blew up in Vacaville."I made it, God saved me," Ms Bustos told local television station KPIX.Dead livestock was pictured among torched properties and some animals were seen wandering loose.
"We are experiencing fires the like of which we haven't seen in many, many years," California Governor Gavin Newsom told a news conference.Mr Newsom said he had requested 375 fire engines from outside the state to assist in battling the blazes.The last time California experienced dry lightning storms of such devastating proportions was in 2008, CalFire said.
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