A fast-moving fire in northern California has injured several people and destroyed multiple homes as thousands of residents were forced to leave immediately.
The fire started on the property of Roseburg Forest Products, a lumber mill north of Weed, a Californian town 80 kilometres south of the Oregon border.
The fire quickly burned through homes and prompted evacuation orders for all of Weed and the nearby communities of Lake Shastina and Edgewood, with a combined population of about 7,500 people, said Weed councilwoman Sue Tavalero.
She said there were burned homes in the Lincoln Heights neighbourhood but she did not know how many.
"I'm positive several homes have been lost," she said.
The Mill Fire had burned 3.6 square kilometres on Friday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said the blaze had spread quickly in hot and windy conditions.
Several of the injured were taken to hospital, according to Suzi Brady, a Cal Fire spokeswoman.
She said she did not know the extent of their injuries.
Ms Brady said residents were still evacuating and that the blaze continued to rapidly spread amid 58 kph winds.
She said more resources have been requested to aid at least 200 firefighters battling the blaze on the ground and from the air.
In southern California, firefighters were making progress on Friday against two big wildfires despite dangerously hot weather.
Fires throughout state during prolonged heat wave
California is in the grip of a prolonged heat wave.
Temperatures have been so high that residents have been asked for three consecutive days to conserve power during late afternoon and evening hours when solar energy declines.
On Friday, containment of the Route Fire along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles increased to 37 per cent and it remained at just over 21 square kilometres in size, a California Fire statement said.
On Wednesday, seven firefighters working the Route Fire had to be taken to hospitals for treatment of heat illnesses. All have been released.
The tally of destroyed structures remained at two and all evacuation orders have been lifted.
In eastern San Diego County, the Border 32 Fire remained at just under 18 square kilometres and containment increased to 20 per cent.
More than 1,500 people had to evacuate the area near the US-Mexico border when the fire erupted on Wednesday. All evacuations were lifted by Friday afternoon.
Two people were hospitalised with burns. Three homes and seven other buildings were destroyed.
Scientists have said climate change has made the west of the country warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.
AP
