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One of the largest fires has swept through about 50,000 acres of forest along the famous Big Sur coastline between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Some fire officials have questioned whether the state can cope.

As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, Californians are being urged to show restraint with traditional fireworks displays.

More than 1,000 fires are burning over half a million acres of California countryside, and the flames have now claimed their first life - a 63-year-old volunteer firefighter in the north of the state.

Most of the fires are in sparsely populated areas.

Still, more than 8,000 homes are at risk and people in parts of three counties have been ordered to evacuate.

Members of California's National Guard have been drafted in to help.

John Scherrei, chief of the Santa Barbara Fire Department, says firefighters are hard pressed to cope.

"Could we use more resources? Absolutely. California is stretched thin," he told the Associated Press news agency.

"We have requests in for additional resources, and we don't know how long we can hold on to what we have."

(BBC)

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