California Governor Declares State of Emergency in Five Counties Over Wildfires

California low fire record 3:59

(CNN) -

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in five counties Sunday night as multiple wildfires continue to burn across the state.

The state of emergency applies to Fresno, Madera and Mariposa counties, where the Creek fire is burning, and San Bernardino and San Diego counties, where the El Dorado fires and the Valley fire are raging, respectively, according to a statement from the state Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Sunday evening.

Tens of thousands of hectares have been ravaged by the three fires, which have also destroyed homes and prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents, according to the statement.

San Miguel County firefighters fight the Valley Wildfire.

Rescue hundreds trapped by fire

The flames, fueled by high temperatures and dry conditions, resulted in an airlift operation that culminated in the rescue of dozens of people on Saturday night.

They had been celebrating the holiday weekend at the Mammoth Pool Reservation when a wall of flames from the Creek Fire closed the roads in Maderas County, trapping them.

More than 200 people were airlifted from the camp by Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters, David Hall of the California National Guard said during a news conference Sunday.

The rescue operation began Saturday night and was completed around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, he said.

The rescue teams decided to bring as many people on board as possible in the second round to the camp due to deteriorating weather conditions.

The California National Guard shows dozens of evacuees being taken to safety from the Mammoth Pool reservation.

"In that second round, when it was most important to get everyone out, it was important that they get everyone up, secure what they could and then everyone else ended up taking a seat on the floor," he said.

“We don't like to operate in this way, but due to the circumstances, which was an urgent and life-threatening situation, the pilots and the command made an intelligent decision by asking them to get on the helicopter and take as many as they could on that trip ».

Hall said two people were seriously injured and 19 evacuees suffered minor injuries.

Fires ravage thousands of hectares

The Creek Fire in the Sierra Nevada Mountains has destroyed 18,413 acres and remains in 0% containment through early Monday morning, according to the Cal Fire website.

The fire started Friday night northeast of Shaver Lake and the cause is still under investigation.

The Valley Fire in San Diego County, southeast of Alpine, has destroyed 3,986 acres since it started Saturday and is in 1% containment, Cal Fire San Diego said in a tweet Sunday night.

Eleven structures have been destroyed in the fire and evacuations have been ordered in the area.

In San Bernardino County, the El Dorado Fire, which started during a gender reveal of a baby using a pyrotechnic device, has devastated 2,853 hectares and is 5% contained.

Kerith, the bitch that supports the California firefighters 0:51

Statewide records

This wildfire year is the worst in California history in terms of acres burned.

The state broke its record for scorched earth statewide on Sunday, with 847,816 hectares burned, Cal Fire Capt. Richard Cordova told CNN.

"This is crazy.

We haven't even entered the October and November fire season and we've broken the all-time record, ”Cordova said.

Hundreds of people had to be rescued from the Creek fire after a wall of fire trapped people.

"We are concerned because we have to get these firefighters out of these lines and give them rest to fight these forest fires," he added.

A national forecast of potential fires for the months of September and October issued by the National Interagency Fire Center last week predicted a dramatic increase in fire activity across the West based on weather patterns.

At least 10 heat records were broken this weekend, according to an alert from the National Weather Service.

It was the hottest weekend in more than half a century, with another seven records set in the 1950s broken Sunday in various parts of the state, according to the alert.

CNN's Jaide Timm-Garcia, Susannah Cullinane, Alta Spells, Artemis Moshtaghian, and Paul Vercammen contributed to this report.