(CNN)Nine national forests in California are closed Monday as firefighters struggle to contain 11 large wildfires burning in the state.
The US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region issued an emergency forest service closure through at least September 6, citing "extreme fire conditions throughout northern California, and strained firefighting resources throughout the country."
"These temporary closures are necessary to ensure public and firefighter safety, as well as reduce the potential for new fire starts," Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien said.
The closures include Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Modoc National Forest.
The forest service said anyone violating the order could face fines up to $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for an organization, as well as up to six months in jail.
Additionally, the Eldorado National Forest, also in California, was closed on August 17 due to the Caldor Fire. That closure will last through at least September 30, the forest service said.
Photos: Wildfires raging in the West
This aerial photo, taken on Thursday, 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 Wednesday, 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 Tuesday, 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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A firefighting helicopter flies in front of the sun, which was shrouded in thick wildfire smoke near Lakeview, Oregon, on Sunday, August 15.
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Wind blows smoke away for a moment, revealing damage from the Parleys Canyon Fire in Utah on Saturday, 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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The emergency closures in California come as 94 large active fires and complexes have burned 2,472,381 acres across a dozen states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
So far this year, more than 41,000 fires have scorched 4,586,155 acres, NIFC data showed. That's more than a million acres higher than the nearly 3,300,00 acres burned by this time last year.
Some very minor relief is in the forecast as an onshore flow into the Northwest has helped calm fire conditions and clear lingering smoke, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said. Winds along the frontal boundary of a cold front moving into the area could push some big fires into new acreage, but the next week will see cooler temperatures and higher humidity, which should increase containment, Guy said.
While there's no significant rain to speak of, the drought monitor in the West shows "miniscule" signs of improvement," Guy said. "A little is better than none or worse. So the little bit of rain that was received did put a hair scratch (not a dent) in the West's drought."
Caldor Fire burns more than 100,000 acres
The fast-moving Caldor Fire in Northern California swelled to 104,309 acres Sunday, up from 90,107 reported Saturday evening, Cal Fire said.
The fire crossed the 100,000-acre mark just days after it sparked on August 14. The flames burning in El Dorado County are 5% contained.
The fire had destroyed 475 structures as of Sunday night and threatened another 17,488, Cal Fire said. More than 1,600 firefighting personnel are assigned to battle the flames.
Parts of El Dorado County are under evacuation orders or warnings. An evacuation warning is also in place in parts of neighboring Amador County.
"This year what we're seeing more than ever is a set of fuel conditions that many of our professionals that have spent their whole careers fighting fire have never seen before," El Dorado National Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais said in a community briefing Saturday evening.
"The system is as taxed as it has ever been," he said of firefighting resources. "And our folks on the ground are doing everything they can within their power."
Dixie Fire delivers 'never before seen' conditions
Cows graze in front of a burning hillside during the Dixie Fire in Genesee, California, on August 21.
Farther to the north in California, the nation's largest active fire, the Dixie Fire, expanded to 724,110 acres Sunday, Cal Fire reported.
The fire is the second-largest in California's history and is 38% contained after burning for 40 days.
The flames have destroyed more than 1,200 structures -- residential, commercial and otherwise -- and threaten another 12,000.
Evacuation warnings are in place in portions of Plumas, Butte and Lassen counties, according to Cal Fire.
"Fires burning in northern California are exhibiting extreme fire growth based on critical fuel conditions," Cal Fire said in a Sunday evening update on the Dixie Fire.
"Under these drought conditions, wildfires are burning rapidly with extreme severity and have traveled up to 8 miles in a single day," the update said. "Firefighters are experiencing conditions never seen before, such as increased spread rates, spotting and active nighttime burning."
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