A 38-year-old fire-fighter has lost his life in the fires raging in California’s Modoc National Forest. Thousands of fire-fighters continued to battle blazes all around California Saturday. California governor Jerry Brown has called a state of emergency, while the US National Guard, who was also called to provide assistance said 8 thousand fire-fighters are operating to extinguish the flames. Two fires caused the shut down of highways. Fires are popping up throughout California, with one firefighter tweeting Lake County is one of the areas hit most hard, as the flames are raging out of control. A new fire broke out in Cajon Pass which caused major disruption to crucial highways, reported the Los Angeles Times. Governor Brown said the dry weather conditions have turned that state into a huge powder barrel.