"To say the conditions resembled a powder keg would probably be understated"

The flames continue to spread: The forest fires in California, which have been raging for days, have already destroyed dozens of homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee. The "Kincade" fire in the Sonoma district, a wine-growing region around 120 kilometers north of San Francisco, is currently the largest, the authorities said.

An area of ​​more than 250 square kilometers was captured by the flames. Around 185,000 people were called to leave their homes. Nearly a hundred buildings burned down according to initial estimates, including homes and some wineries. More than 4000 helpers are in action. Firefighters from neighboring countries were also called to help, the authorities said. Two firefighters were injured in action.

More than 600 firefighters had been called to a new fire in northwest Los Angeles early Monday morning. The fire department warned about the so-called "Getty" fire, which broke out near a highway. Residents were called upon to leave the area quickly. At least five houses have already burned down, it said.

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The fire blazed near Brentwood and other mansion districts where many celebrities live. Also, the action star and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had to leave his own house. Followed the evacuation orders, the actor warned on Twitter. He thanked the "best firefighters in the world". They are the real action heroes.

Even basketball superstar LeBron James was affected. "I drove around with my family to find a (new) place to stay, so far no luck," James wrote on Twitter.

We evacuated safely at 3:30 this morning. If you are in an evacuation zone, do not screw around. Get out. Right now I am grateful for the best firefighters in the world, the true action heroes who charge their way to their fellow Californians. #GettyFire

Wind gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour had rekindled the flames in Northern California. "To say the conditions are like a powder keg would probably be an understatement," the San Francisco Chronicle quoted chief of operations Jonathan Cox. The strong wind was also blamed for the death of a woman who was killed by a falling tree south of San Francisco. In 43 of the 58 districts of California, there is evidence of increased forest fire risk.

After the heavy storms on the weekend there was a wind break on Monday. The task forces wanted to use this to keep the flames under control. However, the National Meteorological Service warned of further strong winds and low humidity, which could start again on Tuesday.

Because of the high risk of forest fires, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG & E), California's energy utility, began Saturday night to shut down nearly one million households - equivalent to about three million people - in the north and in the center of the state. According to PG & E, around 940,000 customers had to do without electricity until Monday.