10,000+ buildings burned down by wildfires in California, USA

About 8,700 forest fires have been recorded and about 10,500 buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the US state of California since the beginning of this year, according to a fire summary released by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on Saturday.
According to Xinhua, the total number of deaths at the state level has reached 31 so far, and about 4.13 million acres (16,714 square kilometers) have been burned.

More than 5,300 firefighters were working to fully contain 21 forest fires in California on Saturday, with 12 of them still major accidents, according to the department.

The National Weather Service issued a red alert for most northern California regions starting on Sunday, due to extremely favorable weather conditions for the fires.

Wind speeds are likely to be from 20 to 30 mph, with gusts of up to 70 mph. These winds are expected to be the strongest this year, according to the management.

In anticipation of favorable weather conditions for the fires, the department said it has increased the number of staff and is coordinating with local fire agencies.