Firefighters hurt as wildfires force thousands to flee

Four US firefighters were hospitalised after being injured fighting a fast- moving wildfire in northern California that expanded yesterday and has forced thousands to evacuate their homes, officials said.

The fire, nicknamed the Valley Fire, spread rapidly overnight and had burned about 40,000 acres (16,187 hectares) as of yesterday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on Twitter.

More than 1,000 fire personnel were battling the blaze, which erupted a day earlier in Lake County, north of San Francisco, Cal Fire said.