Growing wildfires stoked by windy, dry conditions have destroyed buildings and forced evacuations in California, Washington, Montana and elsewhere.

The wildfire now ranks among California's most destructive.

Almost 1,600 people in 13 small communities were under mandatory evacuations orders and evacuations were recommended for a half-dozen others, said fire spokesman Naaman Horn.

Another inferno, the Bluecut Fire, which has burned some 37,000 acres near San Bernardino in southern California, is now 85 percent contained, fire officials said. Englund said the fire doesn't pose much of the threat to the castle building.

A cool morning inversion layer calmed much of the fire to a smolder, but afternoon temperatures were set to rise and with them the chance of increased fire activity.

Known as the Spokane Complex Fire, the Hart Road Fire and the Deep North Fire, the blazes have collectively burned 12,000 acres or about 18 square miles and are completely out of control.

Historic Hearst Castle was bathed in smoke Monday as firefighters made a stand against a blaze that raced across dry timber and grasslands in San Luis Obispo County and came within a couple of miles of the tourist destination.

"Fire personnel are working in extreme conditions around the clock to contain and control this situation", Cal Fire said.

"By fighting these fires, we unfortunately enter what's called the fire paradox, and that is the harder you try to suppress them, the worse they get when they do happen", Finney said.

Wildfires are raging across several USA states, but have hit parched California - a state suffering from a years-long drought - particularly hard.

Finney said that firefighters should be intentionally setting more so-called prescribed fires to burn off excess vegetation, or simply let some natural fires burn longer.

Inslee's proclamation directs state agencies to do everything reasonably possible to assist local governments in responding and recovering from fires.

Samsung to reportedly sell refurbished smartphones starting next year
Samsung's Galaxy S7 costs $670 in the US ; the Galaxy S7 Edge starts at $780, while the recently launched Galaxy Note7 costs $850. Samsung now sells certified pre-owned phones in the United States , typically offering discounts of between $100 to $250.

For now, scientists hope that setting controlled fires in the lab will help them better understand how to manage them in the forest.

Firefighters appeared to be gaining the upper hand against blazes wildfires burning in Washington state.

The fire jumped the Spokane River and threatened the small community of Wellpinit on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Sheriff's deputies will make sure that only residents are returning to the mountain town of about 4,500 residents.

Hot, dry and windy conditions have created a ideal storm for the spread of large wildfires in several western states, including a massive blaze in California that has destroyed 135-square miles of forest.

About two dozen homes were evacuated Tuesday as aircraft dropped fire retardant to beat back a blaze burning north of Missoula.

Officials suspended tours of Hearst Castle due to poor air quality, according to a message on Twitter from the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

In neighboring Yellowstone, a fire grew near West Entrance Road.

Officials in Montana issued evacuation orders to a rural community after a wildfire doubled in size in one day, the AP reported. Winds blowing up to 40 miles per hour created volatile conditions in which fires can quickly expand or change direction.

In addition, Washington, Wyoming, Montana and OR each had their hands full with large active wildfires.

Bureau of Land Management spokesman Larry Moore says the wildfire is burning two miles east of the Owyhee Reservoir, and it's threatening Succor Creek State Park.

Low humidity and "erratic wind behavior" have caused the Chimney fire to behave unpredictably, Haskett said.