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On November 8th, the huge fire camp plume that burns in the Feather River Canyon near Paradise, California, floats on the Sacramento Valley, seen from Chico (California). (David Little / AP)
A "very dangerousFires suddenly broke out in northern California on Thursday, resulting in thousands of evacuations, fires in buildings and traffic jams in the 26,000-strong city of Paradise.
"Several houses were burned down and the city hospital and at least one rest home were evacuated," said the Sacramento bee.
On Thursday afternoon, the "campfire" in Butte County, California, had already consumed 8,000 acres east and north of Chico and Oroville, about 90 miles north of Sacramento, and was at zero percent.
After mandatory evacuations were ordered to Paradise and the neighboring communities of Pulga and Concow, chaos ensued.
According to the Sacramento Bee, people who were trying to flee the growing fire were clogging the escape routes and first responders worried about the possibility of escape.
"It's a pure chaos here," said Ryan Lambert, officer of the California Highway Patrol, at the Los Angeles Times.
Some people were asked to leave their vehicles and shelter in concrete structures.
The abandoned vehicles forced "emergency personnel to push cars off unsafe roads," reported the Sacramento Bee. "The firefighters also reported carrying burn victims who had tried to flee on foot."
Dave Toussaint, a retired Cal Firefighter, tweeted there were 150 civilians "trapped" on foot in paradise and protected by a "couple of engines".
Distress calls have reached social media.
"My mother is stuck with other drivers on Pearson Rd in Paradise, with houses burning nearby," tweeted @jdpiersoniv. "People who leave vehicles and run with children and pets."
The bee of Sacramento also reported:
- Two road patrol units were surrounded and officers had to escape on foot
- At least one firefighter was injured by smoke inhalation
Daniel Swain, climatologist at UCLA, tweeted that fire was developing at a speed of up to about 80 hectares per minute on Thursday morning. It went from 1,000 acres to 5,000 acres in just a few hours. he described the spread rate "really amazing."
"This fire is not going to slow down so soon," Toussaint tweeted. "I can not stress it too much, if you're in front of the fire, get out now."
The National Weather Service predicted dangerous weather conditions for fires in California due to winds from Santa Ana, which blow from the east and accelerate along the mountainous slopes of north to south California.
Red flag warnings of "critical fire weather" were in effect not only for the Sacramento Valley, but also in central and southern California. Gusts of 50 mph were expected in many places.
Winds on the slopes of the mountain not only fan the flames but also dry the soil surface, lowering the relative humidity rate to 10% – creating conditions conducive to the spread of fire.
There were 23.4 million Californians under red flag warnings Thursday early Friday, after which the winds should calm down and give the responders better conditions to fight the fire.
Below, photos and a video of the fire from social media:
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