The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has set an agency record for the amount of retardant dropped on a wildfire in a single day.
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State fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff says air tankers on Wednesday poured 203,375 gallons of the red slurry on the explosive King Fire that has now burned through nearly 120 square miles of timber and vegetation.
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As of Friday, Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service together had dumped 530,000 gallons on the El Dorado County blaze.
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Tolmachoff says the fire is burning so fiercely it is running through the retardant lines because of the extreme drought conditions.
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The wind-whipped wildfire 60 miles east of Sacramento is just 10% contained. About 2,800 people are evacuated.
37-year-old Wayne Huntsman is accused of starting the fire. He remains jailed on $10 million bail.  (AP)
