Axios

The California wildfires have so far scorched over 170,000 acres of land and forced evacuations of more than 25,000 as of Tuesday night. A California fire official said 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed, the AP reports.

The big picture: This is "one of the worst disasters in California history," as California Highway Patrol Capt. Mike Palacio called it.

The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal yesterday to undo the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP) marks the start of a long, contentious regulatory fight, which will be followed by a long, contentious legal fight.

Pruitt's strategy: EPA boss Scott Pruitt, in proposing to repeal a rule he said overstepped the bounds of the Clean Air Act, held out the prospect of replacing it with something much more modest — at some point.

The Environmental Protection Agency finally unveiled its proposal to nix the Clean Power Plan (CPP), a 2015 rule — which never took effect — that would have mandated cuts in carbon emissions from power plants.

Between the lines: The CPP is the most closely watched of the Obama-era climate rules, but it probably gets more attention than it deserves when it comes to the total U.S. emissions picture.

This map shows active fires detected via satellite in Northern California. So far, at least 2,000 homes have been destroyed, and 20,000 people have been evacuated.

Go deeper: The California wildfires, by the numbers.

Since more than a dozen wildfires started ripping northern California Sunday night, at least 15 people have died, more than 20,000 have evacuated, and at least 2,000 homes have been destroyed, according to the Washington Post. According to CNN, 20,000 acres of land were torched in 12 hours, putting the fires' advancement "at a rate of more than a football field every 3 seconds." President Trump approved Gov. Jerry Brown's request for federal assistance.

Why the blazes are spreading so quickly: Dry conditions, low humidity, and high winds, according to California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The California winter was fairly wet, but vegetation still hasn't bounced back entirely from the drought. Part of the problem is the winds, which have gone up to 50-70mph in the blazes, are causing spot fires ahead of the fire line, per the LA Times.

The Trump administration is taking the first step Tuesday toward repealing President Obama's signature climate policy, the Clean Power Plan. Let's reality check two big overarching claims about this regulation, including one EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt made Monday.