Six people have died in wildfires that are sweeping across California and fouling the air with heavy smoke across much of the western US. The worst of the hundreds of fires burning across the state are in the mountains to the south and east of San Francisco. The fires are thought to have been started by lightning strikes amidst an historic heat wave.

Hundreds of buildings have burned down and thousands more are threatened. Over 10,000 fire-fighters are battling the blazes, which have been burning on steep, difficult to access terrain and have been fueled by strong winds.

With more than 650,000 coronavirus cases, California also has the highest number of infections the US, and some evacuees have said they are afraid to go to emergency shelters. One woman told CNN that she was forced to flee to a community centre in Vacaville, but is refusing to go inside for fear of catching coronavirus. “Not only are we dealing with Covid, but with also the heat and now the fires,” said Cheryl Jarvis, who said she is currently sleeping in her Toyota Prius.(BBC)…[+]