The French Fire burning in Kern County, California, grew throughout the evening of Tuesday, August 24, reaching 20,678 acres (32.3 square miles) and 19 percent containment by the next morning, according to the US Forest Service. This video filmed by Seneca Smith of the Bureau of Land Management’s California Kern County Fire Department shows a helicopter dropping retardant near Highway 155 across Ice House Creek before fire activity increased in the area on Tuesday afternoon. As of Wednesday, a team was working to assess structure and property damage amid active fire conditions, the US Forest Service said. The Alta Sierra and Shirley Meadows areas where the blaze was burning have not experienced fires in several years, resulting in greater fire spread, according to the US Forest Service. Credit: Seneca Smith/Bureau of Land Management – California Kern County Fire Department via Storyful