Aug. 7 (UPI) -- California's Mendocino Complex Fire grew into the largest wildfire in the state's history Tuesday, scorching more than 292,692 acres and growing by 80 percent in three days.
The fire, comprised of the Ranch and River fires, destroyed 143 structures, including 75 homes, by Tuesday morning and was 34 percent contained, Cal Fire officials said. Officials expect it to be fully contained by Sept. 1.
The fire, which is burning around Clear Lake in Northern California, has injured one firefighter. It has now surpassed the size of last year's Thomas Fire, which burned 281,893 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
It also damaged 26 structures, including 12 residences and threatened 10,300 more.
Officials issued evacuations in Mendocino, Lake and Colusa counties, but lifted orders in some areas, including Blue Lakes, Bachelor Valley, Witter Springs and Saratoga Springs. The fires, which are burning on separate sides of Clear Lake, are largely confined to remote areas.
Some school districts postponed the start of the school year, as a result of the evacuations and continued smoke and ash in the area, NBC News reported.
"We really can't do a lot until we're sure the ash and smoke are going to leave," said April Lieferman, superintendent of the Lakeport Unified School Board in Lake County. "Our district office hasn't been up and running to start taking inventory."
Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said the fire is "extremely fast, extremely aggressive, extremely dangerous."
"Look how big it got, just in a matter of days ... Look how fast this Mendocino Complex went up in ranking. That doesn't happen," McLean told the Los Angeles Times.
Other fires in the state include the Carr Fire in Shasta County, which killed a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. employee Saturday in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, bringing its death toll to seven.
As of Tuesday, the Carr Fire burned 172,055 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, and was 47 percent contained. The Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park has killed two and charred 91,000 acres. It's about 40 percent contained.
Over the weekend, the White House approved California's request for federal disaster aid. President Donald Trump approved the funding but blamed the state's environmental laws for the wildfires.
"California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren't allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized," Trump tweeted. "It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!"
