Firefighters battle to contain historic California blaze as political tensions rise

Distrust in government mingles with fears for cannabis industry while fires spread across hundreds of square miles

Haze from the largest fire in California history filled the air near the town of Clearlake on Tuesday as Jim Steele, a local supervisor, drove his pickup truck through a landscape of smoldering hillsides and charred trees to check on the homes of citizens in his district.

Related: Largest wildfire in California's history expected to burn for rest of August