A wildfire in a wilderness area of central California has exploded in size. Dry, hot weather is raising the fire risk for large portions of the state ahead of the July Fourth holiday.

The Madre Fire is the largest wildfire in California in 2025 — surpassing the Los Angeles-area fires that devastated parts of the region in January.

A California wildfire that started on Wednesday afternoon continues to burn, having destroyed over 35,000 acres as of Thursday afternoon, with only a tiny portion contained.