A Fiery Weekend in California
Heartbreaking scenes in California as 400 homes are wiped out by raging wildfires that have blitzed 115,000 acres and forced 4,000 people to run for their lives - as state of emergency is declared
There were post-apocalyptic scenes in California on Sunday night as raging wildfires blitzed 115,000 acres, destroying at least 400 homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee. As many as 5,000 firefighters were tackling two mammoth blazes that have torn across the state, with entire towns evacuated. Lake and Napa counties were in a state of emergency after the Valley Fire, which erupted 100 miles north of San Francisco, destroying 400 homes and two apartment complexes, and spreading across 50,000 acres of land. At least one person has died in the huge fire, although authorities were unable to give any details about the deceased. The even larger Butte Fire, in Amador and Calaveras Counties, has torn through 65,000 acres and destroyed even more houses. Scroll down for video +36 A sign hangs above an entryway to a home destroyed by fire on Sunday in Middletown - just one of 400 residences to be burned down +36 Home owners Daniel Ravera, left, and Bill Stafford, right, stand on a neighbor's home to watch the fire move towards their property Sunday +36 A firefighter is seen lighting a back burn along Highway 29 near Middletown, California, as the fires showed no sign of abating on Sunday night +36 Heartbreaking sight: A dead horse lies next to a road as fires swept through California, with dust and smoke spreading across villages too +36 Smoke rises near a house as the 100-mile-wide Butte Fire approaches, throwing ash and cinders into the air +36 California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for counties affected by the fires. Here, a blaze rips through Sheep Ranch +36 Inferno: Firefighters attempt to put it out a house engulfed in flames in Seigler Springs, California late on Sunday evening +36 A spate of wildfires have sprung up in California (marked with red flames on this map) with the Butte and Valley infernos wreaking more havoc than the others Driver films cruise through hellish California landscape
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for counties affected by both fires. The Butte Fire, which is threatening another 6,000 residences, exploded due to triple-digit temperatures and land parched in the drought-stricken state, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant. More than 4,000 firefighters are trying to contain the flames 70 miles south east of Sacramento. They were able to increase containment to 25 per cent by late Sunday. Thousands more firefighters are tackling the Valley blaze, with four having to be airlifted to hospital after suffering second-degree burns. They were said to be in a stable condition on Sunday night. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for several communities. More than 5,000 homes in Northern California are currently without power, Berlant said. Thousands evacuated as California wildfires sweep on
+36 Animal rescue volunteer Chad Hughes, right, carries a goat to a trailer from a home threatened by a fire near Railroad Flat, California +36 Brown had earlier already declared a state of emergency for a fire, raging 70 miles southeast of Sacramento, that has charred more than 65,000 acres and destroyed 85 homes +36 A fire fighter stands near a wildlife in Middletown, California, that has devastated hundreds of homes and destroyed businesses +36 A fire fighter with the Marin County Fire Department's Tamalpais Fire Crew ignite a backfire with a driptorch as he battles the Valley Fire +36 A fireman douses flames from a backfire during the Valley fire in Siegler Springs in California - the fire grew from 50 acres to 10,000 in just five hours +36 The fast-moving fire has consumed 50,000 acres after growing 40,000 acres in twelve hours and is currently zero percent contained +36 A playground is surrounded by smoldering rubble while firefighters continue to battle the Valley fire in Middletown, California +36 A carport frame and burned cars remain outside an apartment complex destroyed by fire Sunday in Middletown, California +36 More than 1,000 firefighters are working to beat back the Valley blaze, with four airlifted to hospital after suffering second-degree burns +36 Mandatory evacuations were ordered for several communities and more than 5,000 in Northern California are currently without power +36 Destruction: A burnt out car lies in ruin after wildfire tore through parts of California, destroying everything in its wake +36 A firefighter with the Montezuma Fire District puts out hot spots on the remains of a home destroyed by the Valley Fire +36 Pieces of a playground still stand at an apartment complex completely ravaged by the Valley Fire +36 Raging: A house begins to cave in on itself as flames rip through its wooden beams, with the fire continuing to spread +36 Devastation: Burned out remains of trucks, homes and trees scorched by the fire that roared unchecked through Middletown +36 Firefighters from Lake County's North Shore Fire Protection District douse flames on the side of a home on Hobergs Loop, Cobb Mountain +36 Fighting fire: A fire man douses flames as the inferno continues to rage in northern California - it has destroyed hundreds of homes +36 There were post-apocalyptic scenes in California Sunday night as raging wildfires blitzed 115,000 acres, destroying at least 400 homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee +36 Four firefighters suffered second-degree burns in the Valley Fire (pictured), which erupted 100 miles north of San Francisco +36 A home burns along Highway 29 in Hidden Valley during the Valley fire, which was still raging on Sunday night +36 A car is engulfed in flames as the Valley fire spots over Highway 29 near Middletown Authorities ordered the entire community of more than 2,700 residents to evacuate San Andreas on Friday, but lifted the order when flames headed away from town. But the fire forced one evacuation center to pack up and change locations twice, as the flames switched directions, according to NBC. Firefighters on the ground were hampered by rugged, hard-to-access terrain. With very little wind, the fires were driven by bone-dry brush and timber. Brown's state of emergency declaration will expedite debris removal and waive fees to people who need to replace official documents lost in the fire. It will also help free up funding and resources needed to fight the blazes. Wildfire threatens thousands of homes in California
+36 Martin Lawson, who has lived in Sheep Ranch for over 40 years, watches a fire approach his property as people start to give up hope and flee +36 Firefighters take a brief rest after days of tackling the blazes - with many more exhausting days ahead for the brave crews +36 The declaration will expedite debris removal and waive fees to people who need to replace official documents lost in the fire and will help free up funding and resources needed to fight the blazes +36 A man snaps a photo as the Valley Fire rolls in to Middletown on the slopes of Cobb Mountain on Saturday +36 Firefighters stand guard as flames from the Butte Fire approach a containment line in San Andreas, California +36 Only a frame and few pieces of furniture still stand at a Middletown home destroyed by the Valley Fire +36 Burned cars stand outside the ravaged homes of the town, which was one of several communities forced to evacuate
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| A Fiery Weekend in California
Over the weekend, thousands of people were evacuated as fast-burning wildfires in California overwhelmed several small towns, killing at least one person and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. A state of emergency was declared by governor Jerry Brown in the areas hardest hit by the Butte and Valley fires.
According to Cal Fire, the Valley Fire in southern Lake County has grown to 61,000 acres and is 5 percent contained, and the Butte Fire in Amador and Calaveras counties has reached 71,000 acres and is now 30 percent contained.
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