California's August Complex fire is now the largest wildfire in state history

A burned store in Butte County.
(Image credit: JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

California hit a disastrous milestone Thursday as wildfires continue to torch the west coast.

The August Complex fire burning in northern California became the largest fire in state history Thursday as it encompassed 471,185 acres in the Mendocino National Forest. It beat the record 459,000 acres burned during the Mendocino Complex fire in the same forest two years ago, and continues to rage largely uncontained as the state's third and fourth largest fires burn too.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.