As Texas Republicans move ahead with redistricting to protect or even expand the GOP’s slim majority in the US House, Democratic-run states, led by California, are pushing forward with their own efforts to draw new maps and add Democratic seats.

California Democrats are pursuing a plan to redraw congressional maps amid the efforts in Texas to redistrict, which could hand the GOP five more House seats. David Becker, the executive director at the Center for Election Innovation and Research,

California Democrats are pushing a plan to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries, a move aimed at countering a Republican redistricting effort in Texas that could help President Donald Trump’s party win more seats in Congress.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — More than 800 structures are threatened by a massive wildfire in central California that left at least three people injured as it burned through Los Padres National Forest.

A motorist was hospitalized with burn injuries after getting out of his vehicle and being overrun by flames, said Flemming Bertelson, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service.

The Gifford Fire scorched more than 113 square miles (293 square kilometres) of coastal Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

The Gifford Fire in central California has expanded to become one of the state's largest active wildfires, burning over 72,000 acres and prompting widespread evacuation orders. Newsweek contacted Cal Fire for comment via email outside of standard working hours on Tuesday.

The Gifford Fire rages to more than 82,000 acres of destruction. The photos from the frontlines show how intense the California wildfire has become.

California’s Gifford Fire grew by 10,000 acres overnight to become the state’s biggest wildfire of the year. Related Articles.