With fire crews bracing for hotter, dryer weather, the evacuation zone was expanded for California’s biggest fire of the season. Wednesday’s new orders were for an area near the north edge of the Gifford Fire, burning since last week in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The expansion brought the zone to 660 square miles.

The Gifford Fire in central California has expanded to become one of the state's largest active wildfires, burning over 72,000 acres and prompting widespread evacuation orders. Newsweek contacted Cal Fire for comment via email outside of standard working hours on Tuesday.

The Gifford Fire rages to more than 82,000 acres of destruction. The photos from the frontlines show how intense the California wildfire has become.