California wildfires burn a record 2 million acres

A firefighter battles the Creek Fire as it threatens homes in the Cascadel Woods neighborhood of Madera County, California (Noah Berger/AP)

Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, with the US Forest Service announcing the closure of all eight national forests in the southern half of the state.

After a typically dry summer, California is parched heading into fall and what normally is the most dangerous time for wildfires.