State of emergency declared in California as wildfires rage

MARK RALSTON / AFP

A state of emergency has been declared in California as wildfires continue to tear across the state.

Close to 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes while at least a million more have been left without power.

The wildfires got worse as strong winds swept across various cities on Sunday.

One of the worst hit areas is California's Sonoma County, which includes Santa Rosa.

Experts say the area has been hit by the Kincade Fire, which is burning through thousands of acres of land.

More from International

  • Strong earthquake strikes central Peru

    An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 hit central Peru on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, although authorities reported no immediate casualties or damage.

  • Overloaded boat capsizes in Nigeria, at least 40 bodies recovered

    At least 40 bodies, mostly of children, have been recovered after an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria's northwest Sokoto state, local officials and residents said on Thursday.

  • Bangladesh elects ruling party veteran Alamgir as president

    Bangladeshi lawmakers elected veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the country's new president on Thursday, making the longtime opposition figure the head of state after his party came to power in a major political transition.

  • Russian strikes kill 16 in Ukraine's Kyiv

    Russian strikes have killed 16 people and injured more than 40 in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Thursday as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a failure by Ukraine's allies to replenish its stock of air defence missiles was costing lives.

  • Prince Harry and Meghan to move back to Britain

    Prince Harry and his wife Meghan plan to move back to Britain this month, six years after they stepped down from their royal duties and relocated to the US, a source close to the couple said.