Rescue missions as California fire ravages town
The Creek Fire burning in the California Fresno area left a trail of destruction in the town of Big Creek, where it started and got its name. Several neighborhoods were reduced to ash.
Some resident who escaped were forced to drive through roaring flames.
The Creek Fire has devoured nearly 79,000 acres of land and over the weekend, caused the emergency evacuation of hundreds of people camping at the Mammoth Pool Reservoir.
One of the campers Nick Meyers, shared a video showing massive fires surrounding them.
The next morning, the inferno turned the sky red.
Meyers said the National Forestry rescued him on Sunday and about 15 others camping near him after being stranded for roughly 30 hours.
After days of record-setting heat across the Western U.S, the Creek Fire is one of three massive wildfires that were burning across California on Tuesday, while another wildfire in San Bernardino County - sparked by a baby 'gender reveal' party - was growing quickly.
Capt. Bennet Milloy, CalFire Investigator: "They used 2 pyrotechnic devices they burn on the inside and emit colored smoke that device also emits hot gas which ignited the seasonal grass that used to be behind us."
As the fires rage, power company PG&E said it began cutting power to more than 172,000 customers across 22 counties, adding that the shut off was a safety measure due to the extreme high and dry winds.
The power outages coming as many children in the state are doing virtual learning at home amid the pandemic.
