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Devoured by the "Mill Fire": A residential building northwest of the small Californian town of Weed goes up in flames
Photo: Hung T.Vu/AP
A fast-spreading fire in northern California has burned around 400 acres as of Saturday morning, and thousands of residents have been evacuated.
The so-called “Mill Fire” broke out almost 370 kilometers north of Sacramento on Friday.
The fire was about 20 percent contained as of Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
About 100 houses and buildings were destroyed by the fire.
Governor declares a state of emergency
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County.
A Newsom spokesman said the fire injured people and caused power outages.
Local authorities advised residents to stay away from the evacuated areas for at least several days.
About 44,000 people live in Siskiyou County, which is home to the Klamath National Forest.
Kim Greene, the mayor of the small town of Weed, Siskiyou County, told the Los Angeles Times the fire started at a lumber mill.
Videos posted to Twitter by local media and journalists showed the fire destroying an industrial building in Weed, burning forested land and spreading to residential areas.
Another fire, the so-called "Mountain Fire," spread at the same time in the town of Gazelle, which is 16 kilometers north-west of Weed.
As of Saturday morning, the fire was only five percent contained and had burned an area of approximately 1,375 hectares.
More than two decades of drought and rising temperatures, exacerbated by climate change, have made California more vulnerable than ever to wildfires.
The two most devastating years in the country's history were 2020 and 2021 in terms of acres burned.
ktz/Reuters