At least three people have died and thousands have been evacuated in California as eight active wildfires continue to burn across the state. More than 3,000 firefighters have been deployed to contain the flames, and the destruction is expected to worsen throughout the weekend as high temperatures and dry conditions inhibit efforts.

The state governor, Jerry Brown, has declared a state of emergency in Shasta county and Riverside county, to help provide fire crews with the resources to battle the blazes. Redding, a city near the Oregon border, is at grave risk from the fire.