A fast-moving wildfire that destroyed homes and forced the evacuation of some residents in Northern California continued to grow on Wednesday, local media and fire officials said.
Less than 24 hours after it broke out, the blaze had consumed about 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) in Butte County, about 85 miles (135 km) north of Sacramento, according to information on the Cal Fire website. At least nine houses were destroyed, local media reported.
Photos on social media showed the fire turning houses into ash as smoke billowed into the sky and flames ripped through trees and vegetation.
"My grandparents' house is gone. Everything on their road burned and it feels like losing my grandma all over again," said a Twitter user.
A mandatory evacuation order was placed on residents who live in the remote area. It is unclear how many residents were evacuated. Two shelters were opened for displaced residents, local media reported.
Northern California is facing a heatwave over the next few days with temperatures expected to top 40 Celsius, the National Weather Service said.
Since the beginning of the year, wildfires in the US West have burned more than 6.8mn acres (2.8mn hectares), about 50% more than during the same time period in 2016.
More than 45,000 fires have burned so far this year across the region, 15% more than in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.