Flames are ripping across Southern California cliffs and mountains, turning cars, homes and other structures into literal dust.
People frantically evacuated, grasping onto whatever memories and necessities they had time to salvage.
Officials have warned residents that the threat of the fires is far from over, and could potentially increase in the coming days.
“Some 100,000 acres have burned,” The Washington Post reported, forcing “tens of thousands to escape.”
In the video clip above posted to Facebook, cars are seeing driving over a highway alongside mountains that look like lava, completely engulfed in enormous flames.
Here is the latest video coverage showing the absolutely devastating impact the fires are having on the Golden State:
A livestream of the wildfires shows unbelievably powerful flames:
According to NBC News, the “latest” status is as follows:
• Santa Ana winds to elevate fire danger in Southern California, reaching 80mph on Thursday
• #ThomasFire at 65,000 acres
• #CreekFire at 11,377 acres and 5% containment
• #RyeFire at 7,000 acres and 5% containment
“? This is what Alex Avlas saw on his way into work this morning on the #405 freeway in #LosAngeles!,” @chrisduketv tweeted along with the video below. “? Please be safe!! ?? #fire #california #socal #405 #skirballfire #skirball #405 #losangeles #lafires #lafire #ryefire #thomasfire #venturafire #fires #santaanas #prayforla”
CBS Evening News warned that things are bound to get worse before getting better:
“Drone coverage captured fires burning near Lake Casitas on Dec. 5”:
J.K. Mondol posted the following video showing destruction as a woman looks on with a mask:
“80 mph winds caused the fire to explode from 50 to 30,000 acres Tuesday morning in Ventura County, California,” Accuweather reported. “A hospital was evacuated then later burned to the ground.”
“Incredible video shows a Firehawk helicopter navigating high winds to drop water and protect structures from the Skirball Fire in Los Angeles,” Fox21 News captioned the video below:
WVLT filmed extensive structural damage, citing over “100 million acres burned this year”:
Enormous billows of smoke could be seen from the air:
Only flames and heavy smog could be seen in this “Creek Fire” video:
“Raging wildfires in Southern California are jumping highways and threatening upscale LA neighborhoods like Bel Air and even the Getty museum,” The Strait Times reported:
“We are expecting some extreme wind behavior this evening,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby told reporters at a news conference.
“Murdoch’s winery, Moraga Vineyards, was evacuated on Wednesday morning as the fire descended on the grounds, a spokeswoman said,” according to Reuters. “Later a structure on the property was seen on fire as crews worked to extinguish the flames.”
No casualties have been reported thus far due to the flames, though the fires have forced mass evacuations and also the closings of dozens of schools. Over 250,000 homes lost power in Ventura County.
It’s inevitable that the wine tourism industry is going to take a huge hit, as the devastation is widespread and affecting thousands:
Los Angeles’ Bel-Aire neighborhood has taken a massive hit. It could be ages before the state recovers from the natural disaster:
U-Haul has taken it upon themselves to offer victims of the fires 30 days of free storage: