'Hellish' wildfires spread across California as thousands forced to flee

Firefighters have been trying to contain the blazes across California. Credit: AP

Explosive wildfires have erupted across California, turning the sky black in a matter of minutes and forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

Authorities have been urging residents of Wrightwood to leave their belongings and evacuate the town.

The fires grew during a heatwave that finally came to an end on Wednesday, giving firefighters a chance to contain the blaze.

Alex Luna, 20, said she saw the sky turn from a cherry red to black in about 90 minutes.

Firefighters tackling the wildfire near Wrightwood. Credit: AP

"It was very, I would say, hellish-like," Luna said on Tuesday night. "It was very just dark. Not a good place to be at that moment. Ash was falling from the sky like if it was snowing."

Luna was among those who heeded the evacuation order that was issued for the community of about 4,500 in the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles.

Wildfires have been spreading rapidly across the western US in recent weeks with tens of thousands of residents fleeing homes in California, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada.

A fire-ravaged property in California. Credit: AP

In Wrightwood, a picturesque town 60 miles east of Los Angeles known for its 1930s cabins threatening wildfires have become a regular part of life.

Janice Quick, the president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce, lives a few miles outside town.

One witness described the fire as 'hellish-like'. Credit: AP

Late Tuesday afternoon she was eating lunch outside with friends and they were rained on by embers the size of her thumbnail that hit the table and made a clinking sound.

A friend texted to tell her that the friend’s home had been consumed by fire, while another friend was watching through her ring camera as embers rained down on her home.

"I’ve never seen anything like this and I’ve been through fires before," said Quick, who has lived in Wrightwood for 45 years.

Resident have been urged to leave their belongings behind and evacuate the area. Credit: AP

The Bridge Fire, which had burned 73 square miles as of Tuesday with no containment, is one of three major wildfires burning in Southern California and endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures.

In Northern California, a fire that started on Sunday burned at least 30 homes and commercial buildings and destroyed 40 to 50 vehicles in Clearlake City. Roughly 4,000 people were forced to evacuate.

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Some 65,600 homes and buildings were under threat by the fire, including those under mandatory evacuations and those under evacuation warnings, nearly double the number from the previous day.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said a Norco man suspected of starting the fire, dubbed Line Fire by officials, on September 5 had been arrested and charged with arson.

The acrid air prompted several districts in the area to close schools through the end of the week because of safety concerns.

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