Thousands of people in Southern California had fled the southeast of Los Angeles by Saturday morning after a deadly wildfire.
Two firefighters have died and more than 100 homes have burned as wind-whipped flames tore through the region.
The Northern California Carr Fire is among the most serious of several blazes burning in the most populous US state.
More than 1,300 firefighters were battling the fast-moving Cranston Fire, which began on Wednesday and forced the evacuation of about 7,000 people, the US Forest Service said.
It added that the hazards created by Cranston and another fire have caused the temporary closure of all US Forest Service lands within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
The Carr Fire outside Redding swept across a river late Thursday and engulfed the western part of the city of 90,000 people, said Bret Gouvea, a Cal Fire commander.
Scott McLean, a spokesman for the department, said law enforcement colleagues were “doing evacuations as fast as we can” because the fire was moving so fast.
“There have been some injuries to civilians and firefighters,” he said.
“Continued hot dry weather is forecasted for the remainder of the weekend with triple-digit temperatures,” Cal Fire said on its website.
“The winds, high temperatures and dry vegetation still have the potential to fuel fire growth.”
Last year was the worst on record for wildfire devastation in California, with more than 40 deaths and around 9,000 structures destroyed, following fires that ravaged the Napa and Sonoma wine regions.
AFP
