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'A horrendous battle': Dry conditions fuel California wildfires

Getty Images Fire fighters report some progress at the Mendocino Complex FireGetty Images
Fire fighters report some progress at the Mendocino Complex Fire

Weather forecasters have warned that dry temperatures fuelling a series of wildfires in California will continue with no rain in sight until next week.

The Carr Fire - the deadliest ongoing blaze - is now the seventh most destructive in state history.

Meteorologists say the Carr blaze is so strong that it is created its own local weather system with errant winds.

More than 11,000 fire crews and 950 trucks have arrived to fight the fires, which have so far claimed six lives.

Getty Images Smoke is seen rising from the ground in Lakeport, CaliforniaGetty Images
Smoke is seen rising from the ground in Lakeport, California
Getty Images A burnt boat sits at a marina on Whiskeytown LakeGetty Images
A burnt boat sits at a marina on Whiskeytown Lake

Temperatures for the next several days are forecast to exceed 100F (38C), making fire fighting efforts difficult for first responders already on the ground.

"It's a horrendous battle," said Scott McLean with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on Tuesday.

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Getty Images fire crewsGetty Images
Getty Images Containment crews have been dropped fire retardant into the blazesGetty Images
Containment crews have been dropped fire retardant into the blazes by plane and helicopter

The Carr Fire has already burned nearly 500 homes, and left six people dead.

Elsewhere in the state, evacuation orders have been lifted for tens of thousands of people, who are now returning home.

Getty Images A deer walks in a forest that has already been burned near Redding, CaliforniaGetty Images
A deer walks in a forest that has already been burned near Redding, California
Getty Images A smoking fieldGetty Images
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