Firefighters struggled overnight on Thursday to halt the spread of wildfires known to have killed 23 people in North California.
The fires have also charred around 69,000 hectares (170,000 acres) of land and destroyed some 3,500 buildings since they flared on Sunday.
California's most dangerous wildfire season comes in autumn, when summer heat and insects have left brush dead and dried out, and winds are especially hot, dry and strong. October 9, 2017 (AP)
High winds and low humidity made conditions ideal for fire to ignite virtually anywhere on ground or brush. October 9, 2017 (AP)
Officials said 8,000 firefighters and other personnel were battling the blazes and more resources were pouring in from Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Oregon. October 10, 2017 (Reuters)
Whole neighbourhoods were leveled, leaving only brick chimneys and charred appliances to mark sites that were once family homes. October 10, 2017 (AP)
More than 285 people were still missing in Sonoma County late on Wednesday night, officials said. It was unclear how many might be fire victims rather than evacuees who have not checked in with authorities. October 12, 2017 (Reuters)
