By Desiree Salas (media@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Sep 22, 2014 08:06 AM EDT

The huge wildfire that broke out early this month in Northern California continues to rage on, prompting firefighters to use a record-breaking quantity of retardant just to slow the blaze down, enough to buy firemen a bit of time to gain a lead over the fiery battle.

"California firefighters and the U.S. Forest Service together had bombarded the conflagration with more than a half-million gallons of retardant," Mashable reported. "That included more than 203,000 gallons in a single day."

The said firefighting instrument is "a water-and-fertilizer mix colored with red dye" and has been used to combat wildfires so firefighting crews get enough time to go to the affected area and create fire lines.

However, this year's blaze is so intense that it's pushing the lines to the limit.

"They can slow it down a little bit. But they're not able to hold it long enough to get ground units in there to extinguish it before it burns through and continues its path," fire spokesperson Lynne Tolmachoff explained, as noted by Fox News.

Meanwhile, the King Fire, which authorities has since declared as being "deliberately set," has already burned through an estimated 120 square miles of timber and vegetation and is only 10% contained. It has resulted in the evacuation of 2,800 people and the burning of various structures in White Meadows in Pollock Pines. It is said to be a threat to a University of California, Berkeley research station, which holds a good number of experiments on trees, plants, and other wildlife, according to Fox News.

It has also been announced that a 37-year-old man named Wayne Allen Huntsman had been suspected of starting the fire. He has since pleaded not guilty to arson charges in court Friday and is currently held on a $10 million bail.

Authorities have not yet revealed the evidence linking the suspect to the blaze.

Meanwhile, cooler temperatures and light rain on Sunday has helped firefighters make progress in the battle against the blaze in North California.

"The fire's size held on Sunday, and the weather helped crews increase containment from 10 to 17 percent," NBC News reported. "More than 21,000 structures remain threatened."

Firefighters have since reduced retardant drops on Friday as the resulting smoke reduces pilot visibility.

The use of this firefighting instrument has generated some controversy in the past due to to its "potential effect on wildlife."

"The Forest Service recently adjusted its retardant rules after two lawsuits that alleged the drops were killing fish, damaging watersheds and harming endangered species," Fox News explained. "The agency now can't drop retardant within 300 feet of bodies of water on federal forest land and can't dump the slurry in certain exclusion zones designed to protect endangered plant species. The only exception is if people are in immediate danger from flames."

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