A pilot was killed after crashing his helicopter while on a water dropping mission, as thousands of homes are evacuated throughout the state.

A huge forest fire that prompted evacuations north of Los Angeles flared up Friday afternoon, sending up an enormous cloud of smoke as it headed down to the desert floor and the California aqueduct in the Antelope Valley.

More than 40,000 people showed up at one beach in Orange County on Saturday, despite concerns about the novel coronavirus.