A pilot battling a fire in central California died after his helicopter crashed on Wednesday morning. Crews have been battling wildfires in the state and thousands of people were under orders to evacuate as hundreds of fires blazed across California amid a blistering heatwave now in its second week. Cal Fire said in a statement that the helicopter crashed while fighting a wildfire in western Fresno County while on a water dropping mission. The pilot was the only one on board. As fires raged across the state, smoke over San Francisco and the Bay Area, with atmospheric testing revealing that Northern California’s air quality is currently the worst in the world. Authorities have told residents to stay inside and shut their windows. Governor Gavin Newsom has blamed "this extraordinary weather we're experiencing and all of these lightning strikes" for 367 known fires, including 23 major fires or groups of fires. He said the state has recorded nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours. Police and firefighters went door-to-door before dawn on Wednesday in a frantic scramble to warn residents to evacuate as fire encroached on Vacaville, a city of about 100,000 between San Francisco and Sacramento. At least 50 structures were destroyed, including some homes, and 50 damaged.
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