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In about six hours, the fire caught a spark in a forest fire and officials said the uncontrollable fire in northern California was still developing.
Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to flee the flames, known as "camp fires" by officials, who exploded Thursday morning, threatening several communities and forcing distracted locals to race to help neighbors struggling with flames escape.
"We have received reports of some of the victims, and this information has not been verified yet," said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea at a news conference.
Butte County Fire Chief Darren Read said several civilians and two firefighters had been injured and that a significant number of buildings – several hundred – had been lost.
An Associated Press photographer found shops and homes razed or burnt, including an alcohol store and a gas station.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in the region.
The evacuees tweeted dramatic videos of what they were forced to cross.
Dramatic and disturbing images of a resident trying to escape from #CampFire. pic.twitter.com/TjEPNxEErV
Butte County Sheriff spokeswoman Miranda Bowersox said the entire city of Paradise, a town of about 27,000 located about 300 km northeast of San Francisco, had received 39; order to evacuate.
"It's bad," said Honea at the Enterprise-Record. "We are trying to get as many people in as quickly as possible and to save as many lives as possible."
"The whole city is burning," Bob News, a local resident of Action News Now, said on a motorcycle escape. "We had to cross flames to get here," he said from the edge of a road to the west of paradise.
Authorities say hundreds of homes could be destroyed by fire. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
The California Department of Forests and Fire Protection tweeted that the fire was declared around 6:30 local time, in the Feather River Canyon, resulting in an evacuation of the immediate area. A few hours later, as the fire spread, the authorities ordered the evacuation of Paradise.
In the afternoon, Cal Fire announced that the fire had reached more than 72 km 2 and that he was expanding the evacuation areas.
The fire destroyed dozens of homes in a few hours. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
A woman who went out said that people had abandoned their vehicles and taken babies and pets while they were fleeing.
Gina Oviedo said that there was fire everywhere when she came out of the city of Paradise, adding that houses were burning and utility poles were collapsing.
The fire forced the evacuation of the neighborhood hospital. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Kevin Winstead, resident of Paradise, said the entire city was burning down. "Not a house will stay standing," he said.
Firefighters are fighting against hot and dry conditions and winds up to 80 kilometers to the hour.
"It is very dry and the moisture content is low.Unfortunately, these conditions are conducive to the spread of a fire," said Cal Fire spokesman Rick Carhart.
A case burns when the campfire moves into the area. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Carhart said officials were sending as many crews as they could muster.
"Every engine we could ignite is burning and others are coming," he said. "We are bringing dozens of strike teams from all parts of the state."
The fire is out of control and continues to grow. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Shary Bernacett said that she and her husband were trying to get people out of the park of mobile homes that they manage in paradise, in the space of just a few minutes to evacuate the premises, to the house. approaching the fire that was heading to the east of the city.
Bernacett said they had "knocked on doors, shouted and shouted" to alert as many residents as possible of 53 mobile homes and recreational vehicles to leave the scene Thursday morning.
The trees burn when the campfire moves into the area. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
She and her husband grabbed their dog, jumped into their van, and went through three-meter-high flames before securing themselves. She said that the air was black with smoke and ashes.
Bernacett said that the fire had also reached the hospital three kilometers east of the mobile home park. Adventist Health Feather River tweeted that she had managed to transfer all her patients to other nearby hospitals.
The fire is fed by strong winds and low humidity. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Image)
Shelley Freeman says her family and friends rushed to get away from the fire.
She says she learned from a friend that people, horses and dogs had gathered at the parking lot of a Kmart in the city of Paradise, which was surrounded by burning trees. .
California is experiencing one of the worst fire years in its history, with 251,610 hectares burned last Sunday in areas covered by Cal Fire, nearly twice as much as during the same period. period in 2017 and almost triple the five-year average.
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