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.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — Rising temperatures on Wednesday posed new challenges for firefighters who have made incremental progress against a massive wildfire in central California that has injured four people as it has become the biggest blaze in the state so far this year.

The Gifford Fire scorched more than 113 square miles of coastal Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, with 3% containment, according to a U.S. Forest Service.