On Wednesday in the southern Sierra Nevada region of eastern California, there was growing concern as the 'French Fire' expanded near Lake Isabella, a popular fishing and boating destination.
About 10 communities were under evacuation orders. The fire has blackened 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) since Aug. 18.
Nationally, 92 large fires were burning in 13 mainly Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
The largest fires in California and in the nation were in Northern California, where they have burned down small mountain towns and destroyed huge swaths of tinder-dry forest.
