Fires, likely sparked by lightning strikes that hit California early Tuesday, razed over 12,000 acres in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, officials said.

© Noah Berger/Associated Press

Housing communities and businesses that rely on agriculture have been destroyed in the country’s largest province.

© Asim Hafeez for The New York Times

Officials on Hainan Island, China’s only tropical beach destination, halted public transportation. Businesses were closed in Sanya, a popular resort city on the island.

The recent flooding that killed 31 in a single nursing home exposed flaws in emergency planning as China braces for more extreme and unpredictable weather.

Unmanned aerial vehicles are playing an increasing role in transporting supplies, and even people.