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California Wildfire Update

Firefighters in Northern California continue the fight to contain a wildfire that has spread nearly 90,000 acres - that's larger than the size of many big cities including Atlanta and Philadelphia.

High winds and drought conditions - just like what we showed you last week - are making it difficult for firefighters on the ground and in the air. Sometimes these wildfires start from natural causes and sometimes they're intentionally set, which is called arson. Police in California have arrested the man who is accused of starting the fire.

Did you notice the red solution coming out of the plane in that video?
That's called a fire retardant and it's used to slow down the spread of the wildfires and give firefighters more time on the ground. Fire officials say that they've used over a half million gallons of retardant, which is a water and fertilizer mix, to slow down the California fire.

stephanie.jarvis@ideastream.org | 216-916-6340