California firefighters battle a dozen large wildfires

A Croman Sikorsky S-61A helicopter drops water on the south end of the Caldor Firein California (Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

More than 13,500 firefighters are working to contain a dozen large California wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to flee to safety.

After an extensive review of fire damage, governor Gavin Newsom requested a presidential major disaster declaration for eight counties, Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Office of Emergency Services, told a briefing on Monday.