California wildfires: thousands evacuate as 'siege' of flames overwhelms state

• Hundreds of fires, stoked by a searing heatwave, prompt governor to declare a state of emergency
• Latest California fire updates

Hundreds of fires are raging across California, forcing tens of thousands of residents - who were already facing blackouts and the coronavirus pandemic - to flee their homes. The flames, sparked by lightning and stoked by a searing heatwave and ferocious winds, have been moving quickly, overwhelming the state's firefighters and first responders.

It's kind of an overwhelming fire siege," said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.