Wildfires plague Oregon and California; here's the latest

Smoke from the Mountain Fire in Siskiyou County, Calif., covers the sun on Sept. 2. (Cal Fire photo)

Wildfires are blazing across Oregon and California. Here's the latest:

Record heat has pushed the power grid to its limits this past weekend in California. State officials said the amount of conservation by consumers needs to double or triple to avoid rolling blackouts.

Meanwhile, the Mill Fire has exploded in size and forced more than 2,500 residents in northern parts of the state to evacuate. The fire has killed at least two seniors in the historically Black community of Weed, The Sacramento Bee reports.

The Mill Fire has burned 4,263 acres since starting Friday afternoon in Siskiyou County and is now about 55 percent contained. Firefighters expect to have the fire fully contained on Sept. 14, the Redding Record Searchlight reports. Three civilians have been injured, 91 single structures have been destroyed, and another 17 structures damaged. Another 411 structures remain threatened.

The Mountain Fire, also in Siskiyou County, has burned more than 11,000 acres since starting on Sept. 2 and is now about 20% contained, KRCR in Redding reports.

On Monday a vegetation fire sparked what's now called the Radford Fire near Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County. The fire has grown to nearly 333 acres as of last night and is 0% contained, the Record Searchlight reports. About 140 firefighters are assigned to the fire, with more requested.

The Fairview Fire in Riverside County was first reported yesterday afternoon and has now grown to at least 2,700 acres. Two people have been killed. Read more here.

The fires are forcing many Californians to make tough decisions about whether to fight or flee, The New Yorker reports.

In northeastern Oregon, 401 firefighters are now battling the Double Creek fire, which grew tenfold in size over the weekend from six square miles to sixty square miles. As of yesterday morning, the fire was not contained at all, and had burned 68 square miles in a rural area near the Idaho state line. The fire prompted evacuation orders in some areas nearby, The Associated Press reports.