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California Wildfires Drive Tens of Thousands From Their Homes (21 photos)

After five years of drought conditions, wildfires across California remain a common occurrence. At the moment, the Clayton Fire in Lake County and the Bluecut Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest are causing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. The Bluecut Fire alone has consumed more than 30,000 acres, and has forced the evacuation of more than 82,000 people. In Lake County, a man was arrested and charged with arson for starting the wildfire that has destroyed more than 175 buildings so far. Below are images from the past few days of the destruction, and those who are battling the blazes, rescuing people and animals, and those caught up int he chaos.

A firefighter with the Elk Mountain Hotshots listens to instructions before cutting down burned trees that were destroyed in the Clayton Fire in Lower Lake, California, on August 16, 2016. (Gabrielle Lurie / AFP / Getty)
http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/08/california-wildfires-drive-tens-of-thousands-from-their-homes/496304/