2nd largest wildfire in California burns over 700,000 acres

San Francisco: The Dixie Fire, the second-largest wildfire in California's history and the biggest one so far this year in the US, has so far burned more than 700,000 acres of land since it erupted on July 14, according to authorities.

The fire, which is located about 10 miles northeast of Paradise, now covers 700,630 acres in five counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

It was about 35 per cent contained as of Friday afternoon, reports Xinhua news agency.

Active for 37 days, the Dixie Fire has destroyed more than 650 homes and was still threatening more than 16,000 structures across Butte, Plumas, Tehama, Lassen and Shasta counties.

Damage assessment is ongoing, and the number of damaged and destroyed structures may change as teams can access the fire area safely, CAL FIRE said.