Calif. – fires blaze throughout the Golden State, covering over 230 thousand acres of land. All around the state, firefighters struggle to battle these wildfires, the largest of which is the yet to be contained Thomas Fire.

There has been a drought in Calif. that has contributed to the amount of fires in the already hot state. Additionally, the dry winds in the area around the Thomas Fire have elevated its growth, making it harder to contain. The firefighters attempting to contain it have been dealing with fires popping up in Calif. for months. Currently, the Thomas Fire is only 15 percent contained.

“A lot of these guys have fought a lot of fires in the past few months and are fatigued,” said Fire Capt. Steve Concialdi, according to NPR.

The Thomas Fire began on Dec. 4 and has continued well into the month. So far, the fire, located in the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, has destroyed nearly 800 structures and over 6,000 firefighters are working on containing it.

“This is the new normal,” said Gov. Jerry Brown, according to CBS. “We’re about ready to have firefighting at Christmas. This is very odd and unusual.”

The damage caused by the fire has risen to reached $38 million and approximately 5,000 residents are under evacuation orders. Many schools have been closed due to the fires, including the University of Calif.

More fires are threatening other parts of Southern Calif., though they are far closer to being contained, offering a glimmer of hope to those battling the Thomas Fire.