(CNN)Northern California is bracing for critical fire weather conditions as firefighters struggle to contain at least 10 large wildfires burning across the state.
A level two of three critical risk for fire weather is in effect through Monday night for a large portion of California, stretching from Redding to the region just north of Sacramento, the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said.
"Fire weather conditions should continue to worsen through the morning with critical conditions quickly developing as sustained surface winds in excess of 20 mph (gusts generally 20-35 mph) overlap (relative humidity) values less than 15%," the prediction center said.
That means firefighters will have to contend with the high winds and dry vegetation that wildfires feed off.
Red flag warnings are in place for much of Northern California, expected to last through Monday evening or Tuesday morning, the weather service said. The warning includes the area where the massive Dixie Fire -- California's second-largest fire on record -- has been burning since July 13.
There is also a red warning in effect through Tuesday morning for southern portions of the Sierra Nevada, the first in that zone in about two months. Overall, red flag warnings encompasses about 6 million people in California.
Photos: Wildfires raging in the West
Flames lick up a tree as the Windy Fire burns in the Trail of 100 Giants grove in Sequoia National Forest, California, on Sunday, September 19.
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Firefighters battling the Windy Fire extinguish a spot fire near the Trail of 100 Giants grove in Sequoia National Forest, California, on Sunday, September 19.
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The giant sequoia known as the General Sherman Tree is wrapped in a fire-resistant blanket to protect it from the intense heat of approaching wildfires on Thursday, September 16.
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A helicopter drops water on the KNP Complex Fire burning in California's Sequoia National Park on Wednesday, September 15.
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Flames from the KNP Complex Fire burn along a hillside in California's Sequoia National Park on Monday, September 14.
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This aerial photo, taken on September 4, shows the Dixie Fire on Horton Ridge in Plumas County, California.
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Riley Cantrell cries while she and boyfriend, Bradley Fairbanks, view what's left of her mother's home in Greenville, California, on September 4. It was destroyed by the Dixie Fire.
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A firefighter is seen as the Caldor Fire rages near California's Silver Lake on September 2.
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A helicopter flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in California's Eldorado National Forest.
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Embers fly from a tree as the Caldor Fire burns along Highway 50 in California's Eldorado National Forest.
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Veronica Foster, an evacuee from South Lake Tahoe, California, hugs her dog, Gracie, as she and her co-workers gather outside an evacuation center in Gardnerville, Nevada, on August 31. The governors of California and Nevada declared states of emergency as the fast-moving Caldor Fire prompted officials to tell everyone to get out of South Lake Tahoe.
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Jason Marone of the Roseville Fire Department hoses down a hot spot in Meyers, California, on August 31.
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A tree burns in a blackened forest at dawn on August 30 after the Caldor Fire tore through Twin Bridges, California.
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A firefighter winds up hose at a spot fire near Meyers, California, on August 30.
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The Caldor Fire burns homes along a ridge near South Lake Tahoe on August 30.
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South Lake Tahoe residents are stuck in gridlock while attempting to evacuate the city on August 30.
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A tanker makes a fire-retardant drop near Lytle Creek, California, on August 26 as efforts continued to stop the South Fire.
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A firefighter tries to extinguish flames at a burning house as the South Fire burned in Lytle Creek, California, on August 25.
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From left, Astrid Covarrubias, Jose Lamas and Maria Covarrubias walk through smoke after visiting their burned-out home in Lytle Creek on August 25.
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The French Fire continues to spread near Wofford Heights, California, on August 25.
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Firefighters are seen behind the flames of a backfire they were setting to battle the French Fire near Wofford Heights.
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Crews battle California's Caldor Fire as it moved east toward Lake Tahoe on August 23.
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This aerial photo, taken on August 19, shows burned homes at the Creekside Mobile Home Park a day after they were destroyed by the Cache Fire in Clearlake, California.
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Firefighters dig a containment line on the Caldor Fire near Pollock Pines, California, on August 18.
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Smoke and haze from wildfires obscure the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline on August 18.
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In this long-exposure photo, embers light up hillsides as the Dixie Fire burns near Milford, California, on August 17.
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Destiney Barnard holds Raymond William Goetchius while stranded at a gas station in Doyle, California, on August 17. Barnard's car broke down as she was helping Raymond and his family flee the Dixie Fire.
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Destroyed property is seen August 17 after the Caldor Fire passed through Grizzly Flats, California.
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Firefighters spray water on trees being burned by the Dixie Fire near Janesville, California, on August 17.
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As the KNP Complex Fire approaches, Forest Service firefighters Armando Flores, right, and Heron Hilbach-Barger clear vegetation around structures at the Ash Mountain headquarters in Sequoia National Park, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2021. The blaze is burning near the Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 giant sequoias.
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A firefighting helicopter flies in front of the sun, which was shrouded in thick wildfire smoke near Lakeview, Oregon, on August 15.
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Wind blows smoke away for a moment, revealing damage from the Parleys Canyon Fire in Utah on August 14.
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Crews battle a fire in Newhall, California, on August 12.
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A table and chairs sit in front of a destroyed home in Greenville, California, on August 12.
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A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire near Taylorsville, California, on August 10.
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Smoke plumes rise from the Kwis Fire near Eugene, Oregon, on August 10.
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A firefighter works to extinguish a controlled burn, a preventative measure, to protect a home in Greenville, California, on August 9.
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Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear a fallen tree from a roadway in Plumas County, California, on August 6.
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Flames from the Dixie Fire consume a pickup truck on Highway 89, south of Greenville, California, on August 5.
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Operations Chief Jay Walter passes the historic Sierra Lodge as the Dixie Fire burns through Greenville, California, on August 4. The fire leveled multiple historic buildings and dozens of homes in central Greenville.
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Firefighters work at a Greenville home that was engulfed by the Dixie Fire on August 4.
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The Dixie Fire burns near Taylorsville, California, on July 29.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak tour an area destroyed by the Tamarack Fire in Gardnerville, Nevada, on July 28.
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Firefighter Brentt Call walks through a burned-over area of the Bootleg Fire near Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 27.
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Cal Fire Capts. Tristan Gale, left, and Derek Leong monitor a firing operation in California's Lassen National Forest on July 26. Crews had set a ground fire to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading.
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Firefighters try to reach a fire site in Quincy, California, on July 25.
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Volunteers sort clothing at a donation shelter for those affected by the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon.
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Scott Griffin surveys his property, which was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire in Sycan Estates, Oregon.
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Flames consume a home as the Dixie Fire tears through the Indian Falls community of Plumas County, California, on July 24.
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People stand behind the fire line as flames from the Steptoe Canyon Fire spread through dry grass in Colton, Washington, on July 22.
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Plumes of smoke from the Dixie Fire rise above California's Plumas National Forest, near the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Power House, on July 21.
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Firefighters walk near a wildfire in Topanga, California, on July 19.
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A firefighter does mop-up work in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, which has been struggling with the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.
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A car is charred by the Bootleg Fire along a mountain road near Bly, Oregon.
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Nicolas Bey, 11, hugs his father, Sayyid, near a donated trailer they are using after their home was burned in the Bootleg Fire near Beatty, Oregon.
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Firefighters extinguish hot spots in an area affected by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Oregon.
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A bear cub clings to a tree after being spotted by a safety officer at the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.
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Firefighters work to protect Markleeville, California, from the Tamarack Fire on July 17. The Tamarack Fire was started by a lightning strike.
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The Tamarack Fire burns in Markleeville, near the California-Nevada border, on July 17.
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A member of the Northwest Incident Management Team 12 holds a map of the Chuweah Creek Fire as wildfires devastated Nespelem, Washington, on July 16.
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A cloud from the Bootleg Fire drifts into the air near Bly, Oregon, on July 16.
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Firefighters spray water from the Union Pacific Railroad's fire train while battling the Dixie Fire in California's Plumas National Forest on July 16.
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Horses climb a hillside that was burned by the Chuweah Creek Fire in eastern Washington.
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Fire from the Bootleg Fire illuminates smoke near Bly, Oregon, on the night of July 16.
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A firefighter battles the Bootleg Fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, along the Oregon and California border, on July 15.
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A firefighting aircraft drops flame retardant on the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon, on July 15.
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Firefighters dig away at hot spots underneath stumps and brush after flames from the Snake River Complex Fire swept through the area south of Lewiston, Idaho, on July 15.
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Burned cars sit outside a home that was destroyed by the Chuweah Creek Fire in Nespelem, Washington.
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Evacuee Dee McCarley hugs her cat Bunny at a Red Cross center in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 14.
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An airplane drops fire retardant on the Chuweah Creek Fire in Washington on July 14.
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Operations Section Chief Bert Thayer examines a map of the Bootleg Fire in Chiloquin, Oregon, on July 13.
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Fire consumes a home as the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, tears through Doyle, California, on July 10. It's the second time in less than a year that the small town has been ravaged by a wildfire.
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Men hug a member of the Red Cross at a Bootleg Fire evacuation center in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
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Embers blow across a field as the Sugar Fire burns in Doyle, California, on July 9.
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Firefighters monitor the Sugar Fire in Doyle, California, on July 9.
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In this long-exposure photograph, taken early on July 2, flames surround a drought-stricken Shasta Lake during the Salt Fire in Lakehead, California.
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Further south, an evacuation warning was put in place overnight as flames from the KNP Complex Fire burned nearby. Residents near Kings Canyon National Park in Tulare County "are strongly encouraged to prepare to evacuate if it becomes necessary," the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said, and the evacuation order for now is voluntary.
As the globe has warmed, fire seasons have gotten longer, with greater potential for more fires, more intense fires and more land burned.
"A warmer climate has been directly linked to higher fire danger: fire seasons will become longer; drier and warmer conditions will make more vegetation available for fuel; increase in lightning activity will lead to more natural ignitions," according to a United Nations report.
More than 7,500 fires have burned 2.3 million in California this year, according to Cal Fire, less than at this point in the devastating 2020 fire season but higher than the five-year annual average.
Firefighters work to save giant sequoia trees
The KNP Complex Fire is burning in the Sequoia National Park and had consumed 21,773 acres as of Sunday night, according to InciWeb, a national clearinghouse for wildfire information.
The flames on Saturday breached a "small area" of the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, where officials spent recent days preparing the trees for the threat of fire, officials said.
The base of the General Sherman tree, the world's largest by volume, had been wrapped in an aluminum-based burn-resistant material.
Sequoias only naturally grow across the western slopes of the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. They can grow to be more than 200 feet tall and live more than 3,000 years.
"Our primary focus is on protection of the communities and always will be," Clayton Jordan, superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, told CNN on Sunday. "And that's where most of the firefighting efforts are focused."
"But we do have a special team of resource managers led by park staff that is focused on the protection of the sequoias while the firefighters deal with the main threat of the fire," he said, adding there are a "number of tools" being used.
One of those tools involves wrapping trees in the "high-tech, aluminum foil, fiberglass fabric" that was used on the General Sherman tree. The material works to protect the base of the tree where it may have past fire scars that would leave it vulnerable to fire, Jordan said. It's the same material that firefighters use for emergency shelters, he added.
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Firefighters in California face critical fire threat as they work to contain several large blazes - CNN
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