A firefighter has been killed and hundreds of people have fled their homes as forest fires rage in California. <br /><br />More than 20 blazes – many sparked by lightning strikes – were burning across northern areas on Saturday.<br /><br />Around eight thousand firefighters have been battling the flames. <br /><br />Their job has been made difficult by several years of drought that have dried out California.<br /><br />The fires have prompted Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency and activate the California National Guard to help with disaster recovery.
