At least 200 fires unattended, more lightning storms to come

Wildfires raged in California on Tuesday, as the state marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating Angora fire, a massive blaze southwest of Lake Tahoe that destroyed 254 homes and charred 3,100 acres.

An "unprecedented" lightning storm Friday was the source of more than 800 wildfires, from Mendocino County south to the Big Sur area in Monterey County.

At least 200 of the fires remained unattended Tuesday as the state's limited resources were directed at the most immediate threats.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared states of emergency in Monterey and Trinity counties and asked for help and equipment from neighboring states. Thousands of firefighters have been battling the blazes on the ground and from the air.

While crews were reporting progress against many of the blazes, they were told to expect the situation to deteriorate later in the week.  NBC Weatherplus meteorologist Jackie Meretsky said the forecast shows another series Thursday of so-called dry thunderstorms, the phenomenon that led to the lightning strikes over the weekend.