Days after wildfires left a deadly swathe of destruction in Northern California rural counties, new blazes exploded into life, threatening thousands of homes in what has become an endless summer of flame in the Golden State.

Nearly 1,000 dwellings and more than 400 other buildings were reduced to ruins in what state officials now rank as the seventh-most destructive wildfire in California history.

The erratic blaze forced 38,000 people from their homes. Most of them are staying at hotels or with friends and relatives, and nearly 300 are at Red Cross shelters in the Redding area. 

Six people have died in the fires, including a firefighter, a grandmother and her two young grandchildren.