Multiple buildings burned down by huge wildfire in US California

LOS ANGELES -- Beckwourth Complex Fire, the largest wildfire raging in US state of California, extended dramatically to 83,926 acres (339.7 square kilometers) Sunday noon with only 8 percent containment, according to the the latest information from Inciweb, an interstate incident information system.

The blaze showed no sign of slowing its rush northeast from the Sierra Nevada forest region after doubling in size between Friday and Saturday. Late Saturday, flames jumped US Route 395, a main route linking Northern California and Central Valley in rural Sierra Nevada mountain region, and forced closures.

Doyle, a small town in Lassen County of California standing on highway 395, was reported being damaged by the wildfire Sunday after the fire spread northeast for about three miles in 24 hours. Photos posted by Craig Philpott, an independent fire reporter based in Northern California, showed that multiple structures were burning in the small town with about 600 residents.

Residents in Doyle received evacuation order on Thursday, local ABC 8 news channel reported that many people had fled their homes with concerns that what happened in November last year will happen again. Last year, the Laura 2 fire destroyed more than 40 homes and outbuildings in the town.

In a virtual community meeting Saturday night, Incident Commander Rocky Opliger said that critically dry and hot temperatures, topography arrangement and southwest winds funneling through the area affected the 1,800 firefighters' attempts to suppress the aggressive fire.

The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the area through Tuesday. The weather forecast for Doyle Sunday afternoon warned of 40 degrees centigrade.

"We're looking at unprecedented early season extreme fire behavior ... much earlier than we've experienced before," Opliger said.