A fire in Northern California leaves at least 12 injured and 100 homes destroyed

A wildfire swept through more than 100 homes and other buildings Saturday in a neighborhood in Weed, a rural area in Northern California.

At least 12 people were injured, according to firefighters.

The fire, dubbed the Mill Fire, started shortly after 1 pm Friday north of Weed.

As it grew out of control the nearly 2,600 residents were evacuated.

In Lincoln Heights, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, dozens fled for their lives.

Two people who were injured were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Mount Shasta.

One of them was in stable condition, but the other had to be transferred to the UC Davis medical center, where there is a specialized burn unit.

A neighborhood consumed by the Mill Fire in Weed, California, on September 3, 2022.Noah Berger / AP

Siskiyou Fire Chief Phil Anzo said they were working through the night to try to protect the most vulnerable structures in Weed.

"There's a lot at stake with the Mill Fire. There are a lot of communities, a lot of homes," he

told The Associated Press news agency.

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By Saturday morning about 20% of the fire had already been contained.

However, another fire that started northwest of Weed on Friday has grown considerably, according to fire officials.

The causes of both fires are being investigated.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County, saying he had received federal funds to put out the flames.

The flames took many residents by surprise, who fled as they could while the structures were consumed.

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Sept.

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"Everything was black. There were things exploding, you couldn't see beyond your face,"

Naomi Vogelsang, 46, who ran away so fast that she didn't have time to bring her dog Bella, an English bulldog, told the media. 10 years old who is missing.

Annie Patterson told NBC San Francisco that she was sitting on her front porch when she suddenly heard a "boom" and a cloud of smoke completely engulfed them.

Parishioners from her church helped her get her son, who is unable to move on his own, out of the burning house.

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About 9,000 homes lost their connection to the power grid in the area.

California's deep drought and high winds fanned the flames of the Mill Fire.

Scientists warn that the climate emergency has raised temperatures in the west of the country and made it drier, making forest fires more frequent and destructive.

In the last five years, California has experienced several of the largest and most destructive fires in its history.

Weed has seen three major fires since 2014.