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

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.

As of Thursday, the August Complex — a combination of 37 fires that all merged together — is 24 percent contained, says the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Meanwhile the SCU Lightning Complex outside San Jose has burned 396,624 acres and is 97 percent contained, making it the third largest fire in state history. The LNU Lightning Complex north of San Francisco has burned 363,220 acres and is 94 percent contained, putting it at the No. 4 spot in state history.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Fires raging across California have killed at least 12 people and destroyed 3,900 structures, officials told the Los Angeles Times. Still, scientists warn the most dangerous effects of the wildfires are likely the smog they're casting throughout some of America's most populous metropolitan areas.

Oregon is meanwhile undergoing its most intense fires in history as well. Gov. Kate Brown (D) said Thursday that 900,000 acres have burned throughout the state in the past week — nearly twice as much than what typically burns in a year. The five largest fires, each larger than 100,000 acres, are barely contained at all.