Wildfires grow in northern California with smoke plumes visible from space

Firefighters battle blazes on multiple fronts in scenes reminiscent of last year's record season

Hundreds of firefighters are battling in high heat against several wildfires in the forests of far northern California, where the flames have already forced many communities to evacuate.

Mount Shasta, the volcano that towers over the region, was shrouded on Thursday in a haze of smoke plumes so huge they could easily be seen in images from weather satellites in space.