California fires

There are 18 fires blazing in California, and officials say this year the wildfires have spread faster and burned more land earlier in the fire season than usual.

Officials are expressing some optimism, saying a break in the strong winds have helped them go on the offensive against the fire that has engulfed more than 95,000 acres north of Sacramento.

The Thomas Fire has claimed more than 249,500 acres and over 700 homes. Officials say it won't be contained until January.

At least 30 marijuana farms in Northern California have suffered significant crop losses, while only a handful of vineyards in the Napa Valley experienced significant property loss.

Some 34,000 of the 100,000 people forced to flee the blazes are still under evacuation orders. Authorities said they were getting close to containing the largest of the fires in Northern California.

Wildfires forced residents in the wine country north of San Francisco to flee. At least 10 people have died and Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in eight counties.

"The little that we had is gone": Immigration status can compound the loss families face after devastating wildfires.

The Valley Fire alone has claimed 585 homes and hundreds of other structures since it started Saturday. At least one person has died.

More than 5,500 firefighters are battling the so-called King Fire in the Sierra Nevada forest area. Some 2,800 people have been evacuated.