The California ‘Rim’ wildfire, photos of which you can view below, first ignited on August 17 and has been scotching the 31st state as well as iconic Yosemite National Park ever since. Blazing its way into the American annals as one of the largest in California history, the Rim fire has burned an estimated 187,466 acres acres to date, some 293 square miles, and is currently being reported as only 23% contained. The size of the fire is almost as large as the entirety of Charlotte, NC, America’s 27th largest by land area (larger in area than Chicago, New Orleans, and Denver) .

So devastating is the inferno that Cali governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for the city of San Francisco after the fire damaged two out of the existing three hydroelectric power plants servicing the Bay Area, forcing them to shut down. According to the Huffington Post, though, “Fire officials say they expect full containment in three weeks but that it will burn for much longer than that.”

California fire spokesman Daniel Berlant noted that of some of the structures destroyed in the fire’s wake, most are tent cabins and other outbuildings but but 11 homes have been lost subsequently displacing those inhabitants with the likelihood of more to come.

More than 62 fire crews, consisting of more than 3,600 firefighters, have been called to the scene to help contain the seemingly endless heat, hoping to spare wildlife and the environment, including sequoias which are some of the largest and longest-living organisms currently gracing the face of the Earth. Also aiding to extinguish are 16 helicopters, 454 fire engines, and 39 water tenders as of yesterday.

Our thoughts go out to those who have been directly affected by the continuous rage and wish to express a heartfelt thank you to those battling the blaze. We hope all of you return home safely to your loved ones.