LOS ANGELES: Massive wildfires have continued to wreak havoc across the US state of California, with more than 1 million acres of land set ablaze and tens of thousands of residents forced to evacuate.

The latest flare-ups were caused by several thousand lightning strikes in recent days, the international news agency reported.

On Saturday, CalFire, the state’s fire department, said that people should brace for more lightning till Tuesday and make further evacuation plans.

According to local authorities, at least five deaths were linked to the wildfires that are believed to be the “largest-ever”.

So far, nearly 14,000 firefighters were battling to contain the blazes.

(With inputs from agencies)