home destroyed by wildfire Flames burn from a destroyed home's natural gas line during the Skirball Fire in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Wednesday, December 6, 2017. Fast-moving fires fanned by high winds in Southern California charred 50,000 acres of land, and prompted a shut down of the Interstate 405 highway as they moved closer to Los Angeles. (Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) – California is poised to set an annual record it never wanted to break: the amount of earth scorched by wildfires.

Chances of rain are slim

Blazes have already ripped through enough acres to blacken the entire state of Delaware, and what's typically California's worst month for fires is just beginning. At least 11 people have died this year from wildfires that shut down Yosemite National Park, drove thousands from their homes and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings. And forecasters say prospects for rain are slim.

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