SHOTLIST:

Chico, California - 13 June 2008

1. Wide of smoke rising in the distance

2. Mid of smoke

3. Road closed, smoke in distance, pan to traffic and fire trucks driving on highway

4. Mid of a sign reading (English) "Closed, All Roads To Paradise"

5. Wide of a church being used as a shelter for fire evacuees

6. board showing the (English) "Shelter Rules"

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Brenda Morris, American Red Cross shelter manager:

"Right now we have about 150 people here at the shelter. We have people with some special needs, elderly people. Everybody in the community is doing really well, helping donate."

8. People at the check-in are of the shelter

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Loretta Olesky, Paradise Resident:

"Oh, it's outrageous. It's something that we thought might happen one day, but we didn't think it was going to be here."

10. Tracking shot of fire trucks lined up to help in the firefighting effort

11. Prisoners brought in to help fight the fires walking in a line under police supervision

12. Various of prisoners walking in line

13. Mid of fire vehicle

14. Wide "Butte College" sign, where a firefighting command post has been set up

15. Fire fighter walking into temporary bathroom

16. Wide of tents set up for firefighters to sleep in

STORYLINE:

Firefighters on Friday were battling several wildfires across Northern California, with one wind-whipped blaze in Butte County destroying at least 20 homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee.

Authorities in Butte County closed all roads to Paradise, a town of about 30-thousand residents some 90 miles north of Sacramento, and ordered nine-thousand residents to leave their homes.

An evacuation shelter was set up in nearby Chico.

A woman, whose identity was not immediately released, suffered a heart attack during the evacuation and died, said Ruben Grijalva, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

It's the only fatality associated with Northern California fires this month.

The fire, which started on Wednesday, had grown to more than 20-thousand acres and threatened 4,600 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Twenty homes were confirmed to be destroyed, but officials said that number likely could double once crews were able to better assess the damage.

More than 1,500 firefighters were trying to contain the blaze, which was only 16 percent contained by Friday morning.

Fed by strong, erratic winds on Thursday, the fire spread to the hills of the Butte College campus, where officials had set up an incident command centre, said Cal Fire spokesman Joshpae White.

Firefighters, however, needed to move quickly.

Winds from the southwest were expected to pick up in the afternoon, which could push the flames closer to Paradise, said White, who was one of the firefighters injured a day earlier.

In recent days, hot temperatures, steady winds and tinder-dry vegetation have fuelled a series of destructive blazes from Butte County to the San Francisco Bay area to the Los Padres National Forest.

But 900 firefighters in Santa Cruz County caught a break Friday as cooler temperatures and increased cloud cover helped them battled a wildfire that had destroyed at least 10 homes in the Bonny Doon community, according to Cal Fire.

It was 25 percent contained on Friday morning and had scorched 600 acres.

More than 1,500 residents have been told to evacuate their homes in the heavily forested hills about 10 miles northwest of Santa Cruz since the fire broke out Wednesday afternoon.

California State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Santa Cruz County early on Thursday to free up additional firefighting resources.

He declared one in Butte County late on Wednesday.

SHOTLIST:

1. Smoke plume rising from fire zone along ridge line

2. Fire and smoke

3. Close shot of fire

4. Wide shot of fire and smoke

6. Mid shot of fires

7. Firefighters dousing burned out area with water

8. Wide shot of horses in ranch compound near burned out area

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Connie Collins, Resident:

"If you picture the world ending, this is what it looks like. It just come around the corner - smoke, flames - just fire department, everything. You're thinking, god I hope everybody gets their animals out, everybody gets themselves out. And it was just absolutely.... horrific."

10. Burned out area

11. Downed power lines

12. Worker on power line tower

13. Water dropping aircraft flying overhead

14. Fire fighters inspecting burn zone

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Vince Agapito, Firefighter:

"A lot of this fuel has not been burned for a long time. Drought puts a stress on the fuel which causes a lot of downed dead fuel. And so we have this mixture and it's creating a bunch of problems. In addition to that we have a nice, I shouldn't say nice, but we have an extremely hot, dry summer and when you have fuels and weather mixed like that if there's a fire then it really gets erratic and hot."

16. Burned out area

17. Brush fire

18. Burn zone

STORYLINE

Firefighters continued to battle patches of wildfire burning in rural areas 60 miles (96 kilometres) northeast of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

So far, the Crown Fire has burned across more than 10,000 acres (4,047 hectares) after erupting late on Tuesday and raging through the area during the night.

About 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze that was about 25 per cent contained by Wednesday morning.

So far officials say the Crown Fire has destroyed a mobile home, an abandoned house and bridge.

Meanwhile, firefighters have gained the upper hand on two other large wildfires in the area, allowing weary crews to be transferred to the Crown Fire.

The area is thick with thousands of dead juniper and pine trees that were ravaged by six years of drought and an infestation of bark beetles.

Winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour (40 kilometres per hour) and temperatures in the high 90s degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) pushed flames past ranch homes between Acton and Palmdale California, about 60 miles (96.56 kilometres) north of downtown Los Angeles.

The hot, dry weather has helped spread a series of southern California fires in the past week.

Threatened communities have so far avoided the large-scale loss of homes that occurred during wildfires last fall (autumn), but officials warned that the fire season is young.

Layna Rivas returned to her home Thursday to find nothing but smoldering rubble after a massive Northern California wildfire burned across her property, killing her chickens and snatching her dream of creating an artists' community in the mountains.

Thousands of people have been driven from their homes by the blaze that has chewed through more than 100 square miles of dry brush and trees.

The flames mowed down some properties and left others untouched near Clearlake Oaks, California, about 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Forty-three homes have been destroyed with 13,000 people ordered or warned to evacuate.

"It's hard to know what's the sign or what sign to look for, what's it all mean?" Rivas wondered as she picked through the rubble of her home that she was turning into a retreat for artists and musicians. "It rages one side and rages here and takes away your home and not another home and it's hard, it's hard to decipher all that but just going to have to keep going with the grace of God."

Firefighters had the blaze at least 40 percent contained by late Thursday. It is the largest of 23 fires statewide and takes up nearly a third of the 10,000 firefighters dispatched in drought-stricken California.

Layna Rivas returned to her home Thursday to find nothing but smoldering rubble after a massive Northern California wildfire burned across her property, killing her chickens and snatching her dream of creating an artists' community in the mountains.

Thousands of people have been driven from their homes by the blaze that has chewed through more than 100 square miles of dry brush and trees.

The flames mowed down some properties and left others untouched near Clearlake Oaks, California, about 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Forty-three homes have been destroyed with 13,000 people ordered or warned to evacuate.

"It's hard to know what's the sign or what sign to look for, what's it all mean?" Rivas wondered as she picked through the rubble of her home that she was turning into a retreat for artists and musicians. "It rages one side and rages here and takes away your home and not another home and it's hard, it's hard to decipher all that but just going to have to keep going with the grace of God."

Firefighters had the blaze at least 40 percent contained by late Thursday. It is the largest of 23 fires statewide and takes up nearly a third of the 10,000 firefighters dispatched in drought-stricken California.

AP TELEVISION

Clearlake Oaks, California – August 6, 2015

1. Layna Rivas walks on her property where she lived and had been creating an artists community in the mountains, pointing out where a music studio once stood with a piano, hoisting piano from ashes

2. Burned rubble of studio building

3. Rivas walks up stairs that now lead to nowhere

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Layna Rivas, lost home to wildfire:

"There was a music studio, made out of straw bale, and the inside was all plaster finished and it even had gold lining in it. A beautiful baby grand sat right in the middle overlooking this valley and it was beautiful."

5. Various of burned structures, Rivas and friend picking through rubble

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Layna Rivas, lost home to wildfire:

"It's hard to know what's the sign or what sign to look for, what's it all mean? It rages one side and rages here and takes away your home and not another home and it's hard, it's hard to decipher all that but just going to have to keep going with the grace of God."

7. Rivas digging through rubble

8. Various of burned truck on property

9. Rivas walking her property, pointing out where her kitchen had been (UPSOUND: "This was my kitchen … ")

10. Various of rubble that was her kitchen

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Layna Rivas, lost home to wildfire:

"Keep on keepin' on, and to all those other families out there, my heart goes out to you, as well. We feel you. We are all in this together."

12. Rivas and friend walking on rubble of home

Raked by ferocious Santa Ana winds, explosive wildfires northwest of Los Angeles and in the city's foothills burned a psychiatric hospital and scores of homes Tuesday and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

One of the blazes broke out Monday in Ventura County and grew wildly to more than 70 square miles (180 square kilometers) in a matter of hours, county Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. It was fanned by winds clocked at well over 60 mph (96 kph) that grounded firefighting helicopters and planes.

A smaller fire erupted on the northern edge of Los Angeles, threatening the Sylmar and Lakeview Terrace neighborhoods, where residents scrambled to get out as heavy smoke billowed over the city, creating a health hazard for millions of people.

Just weeks ago, wildfires that broke out in Northern California and its famous wine country killed 44 people and destroyed 8,900 homes and other buildings.

Fires aren't uncommon in Southern California this time of year before the winter rains set in, when the vegetation is tinder dry and winds blast the region.

The early official count was that at least 150 structures burned in the Ventura County fire, but it was sure to go higher. Mansions and modest homes alike were in flames. The Vista del Mar Hospital, which treats patients with mental problems or substance abuse, including veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome, smoldered after burning overnight.

Aerial footage showed dozens of homes in one neighborhood burned to the ground and a large subdivision in jeopardy as the flames spit out embers that could spark new blazes.

More than 27,000 people were evacuated and one firefighter suffered bumps and bruises in a vehicle accident in Ventura County. Authorities initially reported one death, but then retracted that, saying a dead dog but no person was found in an overturned car.

The fire erupted near Santa Paula, a city of some 30,000 people about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles known for its citrus and avocado orchards and farm fields along the Santa Clara River.

Ventura County, Calfornia - December 5, 2017

1. Wide view of home and cars in driveway burning

2. Various of home burning

3. Various of structure burning

4. Close view of firefighter attaching hose to fire hydrant

5. Close view of fire truck

6. Medium view of fire truck

7. Wide view of firefighter spraying water onto structure

8. Close view of firefighter

9. Wide view of firefighters

10. Various of fire damage to structure

11. Wide view of hospital burned (pan)

12. Various of hospital burn damage

13. View from car showing wildfire smoke plume

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot of helicopter dropping water on fire zone

2. Brush fire area

3. Wide shot of helicopter dropping water on fire zone

4. Wide shot of firefighters watching water drop

5. Close shot of firefighter

6. Water drop on fire zone

7. Wide shot of helicopter over fire zone

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Mark Whaling, Los Angeles County fire fighter:

"You have the air show, with the helicopters dropping water or retardant depending upon what's needed at that location. And then you have the hand crews. Hand crews at the top are going to work their way down. We've got hand crews at the bottom. They're going to work their way up and they're hopefully going to pinch it off."

9. Helicopter picking up water

10. Close shot of helicopter carrying water

12. Firefighters

13. Map, pullout to close shot of firefighters

14. Close shot of firefighters discussing firefighting operations

15. Firefighters

16. Fire truck pulling away

17. Wide shot of burned out area

18. Close shot of burnt tyre

19. Wide shot of burned out area

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Mark Whaling, Los Angeles County fire fighter:

"If that wind comes up it has the potential to blow fire embers down below where the crews are working and cause the fire to flare up again."

21. Close shot of water bucket connected to helicopter being filled in pond

22. Wide shot of helicopter hovering over pond

23. Helicopter flying away

24. Wide shot of homes near fire zone

25. Home near fire zone

26. Wide shot of helicopter dropping water over fire zone

STORYLINE:

Firefighters near Los Angeles used water-dropping helicopters to help beat back a stubborn wildfire burning 30 miles (48 km) north of the city.

Local fire officials say the foothill fire burning near the city of Santa Clarita is now approximately 39 per cent contained, after scorching more than five-thousand acres of parched brush land over the weekend.

More than 1,500 firefighters were battling the foothill fire, with three treated at hospital for minor injuries.

Fire crews were working along a mountain ridge on Monday morning to prevent a flare up along the front lines where the fire was halted.

They were working to save hundreds of homes threatened by the stubborn wildfire that broke out in tinder-dry brush and raced over hillsides and through canyons in northern Los Angeles County.

Although no structures have been lost, nearly 1,600 homes have been evacuated since the fire began on Saturday.

The fire was ignited when a hawk flew into a power line, was electrocuted and its flaming body fell into brush left dry by years of little rain.

The foothill fire was one of several burning across more than 40,000 acres of California from eastern San Diego County to Yosemite National Park.

Authorities closed a major freeway Thursday morning as flames from the largest and most destructive Southern California wildfire jumped lanes and threatened beachfront homes.

Fire blazed on hillsides all along the 101 Freeway between Santa Barbara and Ventura and jumped the roadway at Faria Beach, about halfway between the two cities.

As firefighters worked feverishly to tamp down the flames, some homeowners just a few hundred feet from the fire prepared for the worst, using garden hoses to spray their roofs and palm trees.

"We're leaving," said Steve Andruszkewicz as he watched the fire burn just across the street. "This has got me worried because of the blowing embers."

Winds whipped Thursday morning along the coast, creating new spot fires up and down the beach road.

Beachfront homeowner Joseph Ruffner said he planned to stay and ride it out, hoping for the best.

"I bought a generator yesterday so at least I can see on TV what's going," Ruffner said.

Calmer overnight conditions helped crews protect the Ventura County resort town of Ojai (OH'hi), where most of the 7,000 residents were under new evacuation orders following a big burst of wind late Wednesday. Evacuations were also ordered for the first time in Santa Barbara County, where the coastal city of Carpinteria was under threat.

Officials closed U.S. 101 for more than a dozen miles along the coast, cutting off a major route between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties for several hours as fire charred heavy brush along lanes.

Southern California has been hit hard by four major fires that have put tens of thousands of people under evacuation orders and destroyed nearly 200 homes and buildings, a figure that is almost certain to grow.

Faria Beach, California - December 7, 2017

1. Various of fire along coast, firefighters, homes

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Capt. Pete Jensen, Ventura County Fire Department:

"About an hour or so ago, we started to get a wind pickup that started to shower embers from the northbound side of the freeway over to the beach side, and dropped embers into the brush which then in turn ignited the brush and started more embers that started raining on the homes. So we brought in additional resources and we able to knock it down and reduce the threat against the homes."

3. Various of firefighters putting out blaze, flames

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Capt. Pete Jensen, Ventura County Fire Department:

"At this particular location along the coastline we have what's called the confluence where the east winds that have been predominant over the night are pushing against the natural onshore flow coming off the ocean and it battles here. As it ebbs and flows, it causes wind changes in which one will overpower the other and when that happens, we get erratic fire behavior."

5. Mid of firefighter talking to homeowner

6. SOUNBITE (English) Steve Andruszkewicz (and-DRUSK-oh), homeowner:

"We're leaving. We've been packed up since Tuesday. We left Tuesday night and stayed down at our son's house. We came back yesterday, stayed the night. This has got me worried because of the blowing embers."

7. Various of flames

8. Woman spraying house with hose

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Ruffner, homeowner:

"I thought we were done yesterday. We evacuated the night before last, came home and the fire was down in that direction and this morning there was a wall of fire back right over here and I didn't think it was no big deal but it's coming back to burn what it didn't burn yesterday."

10. Various of firefighters, flames

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Ruffner, homeowner:

"I bought a generator yesterday so at least I can see on TV what's going on."

12. Various of firefighters, flames

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus035966

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity overnight helped thousands of firefighters battling an unruly Northern California wildfire, but officials worried that strong afternoon winds and hotter temperatures Wednesday could reignite portions of the blaze.

Firefighting officials said crews made progress with some help from light rain Tuesday, getting the fire less than a quarter contained. The blaze has charred 106 square miles, and isn't expected to be largely contained until at least Monday.

Much of the fire Wednesday morning was smoldering on the ground as firefighters positioned themselves around its perimeter in anticipation of possible flare-ups Wednesday afternoon while they continued to build containment lines aimed at corralling the blaze.

Fire spokesman Steve Kaufmann said the winds Wednesday afternoon would likely fuel the fire burning on the ground, spreading flames by carrying embers

"The last few days expect for yesterday, we would see little spot fires grow out of those ones because the winds would carry the embers, so we'll definitely have to see what today brings us," he said.

More than 3,000 firefighters are battling the smoky blaze.

The fire is burning about 110 miles north of San Francisco along rugged, parched terrain in Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Since it started last Wednesday, more than 13,000 people were required or urged to leave their homes, vacation cabins and campsites.

Teams on Tuesday were able to build a buffer between the flames and some of the estimated 6,900 homes it threatens. Despite the fire's growth, no additional homes were consumed outside the two dozen already destroyed.

The fire is by far the largest of 11 burning in Northern California.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus035966

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity overnight helped thousands of firefighters battling an unruly Northern California wildfire, but officials worried that strong afternoon winds and hotter temperatures Wednesday could reignite portions of the blaze.

Firefighting officials said crews made progress with some help from light rain Tuesday, getting the fire less than a quarter contained. The blaze has charred 106 square miles, and isn't expected to be largely contained until at least Monday.

Much of the fire Wednesday morning was smoldering on the ground as firefighters positioned themselves around its perimeter in anticipation of possible flare-ups Wednesday afternoon while they continued to build containment lines aimed at corralling the blaze.

Fire spokesman Steve Kaufmann said the winds Wednesday afternoon would likely fuel the fire burning on the ground, spreading flames by carrying embers

"The last few days expect for yesterday, we would see little spot fires grow out of those ones because the winds would carry the embers, so we'll definitely have to see what today brings us," he said.

More than 3,000 firefighters are battling the smoky blaze.

The fire is burning about 110 miles north of San Francisco along rugged, parched terrain in Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Since it started last Wednesday, more than 13,000 people were required or urged to leave their homes, vacation cabins and campsites.

Teams on Tuesday were able to build a buffer between the flames and some of the estimated 6,900 homes it threatens. Despite the fire's growth, no additional homes were consumed outside the two dozen already destroyed.

The fire is by far the largest of 11 burning in Northern California.

AP TELEVISION

Clearlake, California – August 5, 2015

1. Various of fire trucks, smoldering trees, burnt earth

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Kaufmann, captain, public information officer, Ventura County Fire Department:

++SOUNDBITE COVERED BY PREVIOUS SHOT++

"A lot of fire deep seeded that's just smoldering on the ground so what happens during the day, especially when the winds come up is those fires will start getting bigger and then we'll start seeing flames and the last few days expect for yesterday, we would see little spot fires grow out of those ones because the winds would carry the embers, so we'll definitely have to see what today brings us."

3 . Firefighters climbing hill

4 . SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Kaufmann, captain, public information officer, Ventura County Fire Department:

++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED BY PREVIOUS SHOT++

"We expect the temperatures to go up and we expect the humidity to decrease substantially and that should dry out some of our vegetation fuel beds so I expect to see a little bit of increase in activity today."

5. Various of fire trucks, firefighters

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Kaufmann, captain, public information officer, Ventura County Fire Department:

++SOUNDBITE COVERED BY PREVIOUS SHOT++

"If we have another good day, I expect to see some (containment) numbers increase and I definitely expect to see some numbers increase if we're able to hold those containment lines with the winds that we're expecting today."

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity overnight helped thousands of firefighters battling an unruly Northern California wildfire, but officials worried that strong afternoon winds and hotter temperatures Wednesday could reignite portions of the blaze.

Firefighting officials said crews made progress with some help from light rain Tuesday, getting the fire less than a quarter contained. The blaze has charred 106 square miles, and isn't expected to be largely contained until at least Monday.

Much of the fire Wednesday morning was smoldering on the ground as firefighters positioned themselves around its perimeter in anticipation of possible flare-ups Wednesday afternoon while they continued to build containment lines aimed at corralling the blaze.

Fire spokesman Steve Kaufmann said the winds Wednesday afternoon would likely fuel the fire burning on the ground, spreading flames by carrying embers

"The last few days expect for yesterday, we would see little spot fires grow out of those ones because the winds would carry the embers, so we'll definitely have to see what today brings us," he said.

More than 3,000 firefighters are battling the smoky blaze.

The fire is burning about 110 miles north of San Francisco along rugged, parched terrain in Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Since it started last Wednesday, more than 13,000 people were required or urged to leave their homes, vacation cabins and campsites.

Teams on Tuesday were able to build a buffer between the flames and some of the estimated 6,900 homes it threatens. Despite the fire's growth, no additional homes were consumed outside the two dozen already destroyed.

The fire is by far the largest of 11 burning in Northern California.

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity overnight helped thousands of firefighters battling an unruly Northern California wildfire, but officials worried that strong afternoon winds and hotter temperatures Wednesday could reignite portions of the blaze.

Firefighting officials said crews made progress with some help from light rain Tuesday, getting the fire less than a quarter contained. The blaze has charred 106 square miles, and isn't expected to be largely contained until at least Monday.

Much of the fire Wednesday morning was smoldering on the ground as firefighters positioned themselves around its perimeter in anticipation of possible flare-ups Wednesday afternoon while they continued to build containment lines aimed at corralling the blaze.

Fire spokesman Steve Kaufmann said the winds Wednesday afternoon would likely fuel the fire burning on the ground, spreading flames by carrying embers

"The last few days expect for yesterday, we would see little spot fires grow out of those ones because the winds would carry the embers, so we'll definitely have to see what today brings us," he said.

More than 3,000 firefighters are battling the smoky blaze.

The fire is burning about 110 miles north of San Francisco along rugged, parched terrain in Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Since it started last Wednesday, more than 13,000 people were required or urged to leave their homes, vacation cabins and campsites.

Teams on Tuesday were able to build a buffer between the flames and some of the estimated 6,900 homes it threatens. Despite the fire's growth, no additional homes were consumed outside the two dozen already destroyed.

The fire is by far the largest of 11 burning in Northern California.

AP TELEVISION

Clearlake, California – August 5, 2015

1. Various of fire trucks, smoldering trees, burnt earth

2. Various of fire trucks, staging area

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Kaufmann, captain, public information officer, Ventura County Fire Department:

"We expect the temperatures to go up and we expect the humidity to decrease substantially and that should dry out some of our vegetation fuel beds so I expect to see a little bit of increase in activity today."

4. Various of burned area, smoldering trees

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Kaufmann, captain, public information officer, Ventura County Fire Department:

"If we have another good day, I expect to see some (containment) numbers increase and I definitely expect to see some numbers increase if we're able to hold those containment lines with the winds that we're expecting today."

6. Various of fire trucks, firefighters hiking up steep hillside to work on containment line.

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Kaufmann, captain, public information officer, Ventura County Fire Department:

"A lot of fire deep seeded that's just smoldering on the ground so what happens during the day, especially when the winds come up is those fires will start getting bigger and then we'll start seeing flames and the last few days expect for yesterday, we would see little spot fires grow out of those ones because the winds would carry the embers, so we'll definitely have to see what today brings us."

8. Fire truck

SHOTLIST:

1. Various of flames and smoke on hillside

2. Wide of heavy smoke and flames on hillside, zoom-in to firefighters' helicopter flying overhead

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Savage, Fire Information Officer:

"The fire moved aggressively, even more so than even was expected and we've been dealing with some of that. But yesterday, particularly, was a lot of movement of the fire. It actually moved a mile (1.6 kilometres) north in 24 hours, which is well within our containment line, but we had to look at it and take a look and say then 'it is coming faster than we expected so let's put some things into action', it's bumped up our time lines and put us in what we would say is a more aggressive mode."

4. Various of flames on hillside

5. Various of firefighters cutting back excess brush as fire approaches

6. Zoom-out from signs to firefighters

7. Firefighters' truck arriving

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Savage, Fire Information Officer:

"We wished we had a better weather forecast, but we know that we are going to be challenged in the next few days in those areas, so we really need to get a bigger buffer for us, and that's the plan. But with the fire spotting, it can spot up to a half, to three-quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometres), embers are falling and igniting outside of, in some of our containment lines and some areas, we are able to pick it up with aircraft, but that certainly is a challenge for us as well and it's happening on all areas of the fire."

9. Helicopter dropping water on fire

10. Plane dropping fire retardant on fire

11. Flames and smoke

12. Plane dropping fire retardant

13. Various of homes destroyed by fire

14. Destroyed home with remnants of oven in background

15. Remnants of oven

16. Various of destroyed home

STORYLINE

Cooler weather on Sunday helped US fire crews attacking a two-week-old blaze that has destroyed 22 homes in the tourist town of Big Sur, at the northern end of California's Los Padres forest.

AP Television footage showed firefighters battling the flames from helicopters, planes and from the ground.

Fire Information Officer Mark Savage told AP Television how hard the fire crews have been working against the fire.

"The fire moved aggressively, even more so than even was expected and we've been dealing with some of that. But yesterday, particularly, was a lot of movement of the fire," he said.

"It's bumped up our time lines and put us in what we would say is a more aggressive mode," he added.

Savage explained that the days ahead would still present big challenges for his crews.

"We wished we had a better weather forecast, but we know that we are going to be challenged in the next few days in those areas, so we really need to get a bigger buffer for us, and that's the plan," he said.

Meanwhile, cooler weather gave a boost to crews battling an enormous wildfire on California's central coast that was threatening nearly 2,700 homes.

The four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara, which had blackened about 13 square miles (34 square kilometres), spread slightly during the night but firefighting crews were able to keep up with it, a county spokeswoman.

As of Sunday morning, the fire in the area of the town of Goleta was 28 percent contained, the spokeswoman said.

And with lower wind and higher humidity forecast for Sunday, crews were optimistic they could get more acreage under control.

Wildfires have charred more than 800 square miles (2,000 square kilometres) of forest, brush and grass and have destroyed at least 69 homes throughout California, mainly in the northern part of the state, in the past two weeks.

One firefighter died of a heart attack.

According to state forestry officials, at one time there were more than 1,700 active fires, but about 1,400 had been contained, leaving more than 330 still out of control on Sunday morning.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who on Saturday visited a command post in Santa Barbara County, has ordered 400 National Guard troops trained to help fight the blazes.

He also urged lawmakers to adopt his budget plan for a 70 (m) million US dollar emergency surcharge on home and business insurance policies to buy more firefighting equipment.

Nearly 2,700 homes in Santa Barbara County remained under mandatory evacuation orders on Sunday and residents of 1,400 others were warned to be ready to flee.

The fire, fuelled by 15-foot (4.6-metre)-high, half-century-old chaparral, still had the potential to roll through a hilly area of ranches, housing tracts and orchards between the town of Goleta and Santa Barbara, keeping firefighters on their toes.

Investigators think the fire, which began on Tuesday, was human-caused.

Wildfires that raged across California wine country left little more than smouldering ashes and eye-stinging smoke in their wake.

House after house is gone, with only brick chimneys and charred laundry machines to mark sites that were once family homes.

The fires killed at least 15 people, destroying more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

Hundreds of homes of all sizes were leveled by flames so hot they melted the glass off of cars and turned aluminum wheels into liquid.

David Leal walked amid the charred rubble of his family's Santa Rosa, California, home on Tuesday, thinking about everything they lost but staying strong by also thinking about everything they saved - their lives and their pets.

They fled in the early morning hours Sunday as a hot wind whipped through the neighborhood, raining ashes everywhere, a frightening glow not too far in the distance and seemingly approaching fast.

"We were able to get our two dogs and Pete the cat out of the house. We're living out of two cars. We went and got a P.O. box for the mail, went and got a laptop, went and got some clothes," Leal said, choking up.

Santa Rosa, California – 10 October 2017

1. Various of homeowner David Leal surveying damage of family's house

2. SOUNDBITE (English) David Leal, local resident who lost home to fire:

"And so we grabbed what we could, and you know, reflecting on our inventory, we didn't have time to think about what we grabbed, we grabbed what we saw."

3. Various of burned down home including burnt out car

4. SOUNDBITE (English) David Leal, local resident who lost home to fire:

"It's been hard to see what we've built and put into the place and now it's reduced to what you see here."

5. Various of burned down home

6. SOUNDBITE (English) David Leal, local resident who lost home to fire:

"We lost a vehicle, our truck, our camping truck, our camping trailer and as you can see, we just lost everything and now we're just here trying to take a baby step and start the process of rebuilding."

7. Various of burned car

8. SOUNDBITE (English) David Leal, local resident who lost home to fire:

"We're just, we're here trying to find what we can salvage. Our plan is to keep those things and when we rebuild, they'll be mementos of what we've lived through and the, just the resilience."

9. Various of burned home, Leal talking about where the door once was

10. SOUNDBITE (English) David Leal, local resident who lost home to fire:

"We were able to get our two dogs and Pete the cat out of the house. We're living out of two cars. We went and got a P.O. box for the mail, went and got a laptop, went and got some clothes."

11. Leal playing with his dogs

12. Various remains of burned home

13. Various of Leal showing back of car full of items UPSOUND (English): "This is home."

14. SOUNDBITE (English) David Leal, local resident who lost home to fire:

"You know, like John Wayne used to say, 'Good lord willing and the river don't rise', we'll be back home again, sooner than later with our chins held high and hopefully we'll be amongst our neighbours and friends as they do the same."

15. Leal walking through burned rubble of home

At least 65 structures have been destroyed by a wildfire in semi-rural north San Diego County.

Cal Fire also says there's still no containment of the fire early Friday.

The blaze exceeded 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) in a matter of hours Thursday and burned dozens of houses as it tore through the tightly packed Rancho Monserate Country Club community in the small city of Fallbrook.

Trees were charred for miles along Highway 76. Some homes along Olive Hill Rd., not far from the highway, were burned to the ground.

At one house in particular, roosters were roaming amid a destroyed home with flames still visible amid the rubble.

Strong winds subsided overnight, but forecasters say they will return later Friday, although they will be less widespread.

Fallbrook, California – 8 December 2017

1. Wide of smoky, burned down trees

2. Various of flames

3. Wide of smoke amid burned trees

4. Tight of rooster

5. Various of burned down home, flames

6. Tight of rooster

7. Various of gated community entrance with wreath on it, smoke in background

8. Wide of smoky trees

9. Wide of firefighter surveying damage from top of hill

10. Various of smoke blowing amid burned down trees

11. Various of flames along Olive Hill Rd.

At least 65 structures have been destroyed by a wildfire in semi-rural north San Diego County.

Cal Fire also says there's still no containment of the fire early Friday.

The blaze exceeded 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) in a matter of hours Thursday and burned dozens of houses as it tore through the tightly packed Rancho Monserate Country Club community in the small city of Fallbrook.

Trees were charred for miles along Highway 76. Some homes along Olive Hill Rd., not far from the highway, were burned to the ground.

At one house in particular, roosters were roaming amid a destroyed home with flames still visible amid the rubble.

Strong winds subsided overnight, but forecasters say they will return later Friday, although they will be less widespread.

Fallbrook, California – 8 December 2017

1. Wide of smoky, burned down trees

2. Various of flames

3. Wide of smoke amid burned trees

4. Tight of rooster

5. Various of burned down home, flames

6. Tight of rooster

7. Various of gated community entrance with wreath on it, smoke in background

8. Wide of smoky trees

9. Wide of firefighter surveying damage from top of hill

10. Various of smoke blowing amid burned down trees

11. Various of flames along Olive Hill Rd.

At least 65 structures have been destroyed by a wildfire in semi-rural north San Diego County.

Cal Fire also says there's still no containment of the fire early Friday.

The blaze exceeded 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) in a matter of hours Thursday and burned dozens of houses as it tore through the tightly packed Rancho Monserate Country Club community in the small city of Fallbrook.

Trees were charred for miles along Highway 76. Some homes along Olive Hill Rd., not far from the highway, were burned to the ground.

At one house in particular, roosters were roaming amid a destroyed home with flames still visible amid the rubble.

Strong winds subsided overnight, but forecasters say they will return later Friday, although they will be less widespread.

Fallbrook, California – 8 December 2017

1. Wide of smoky, burned down trees

2. Various of flames

3. Wide of smoke amid burned trees

4. Tight of rooster

5. Various of burned down home, flames

6. Tight of rooster

7. Various of gated community entrance with wreath on it, smoke in background

8. Wide of smoky trees

9. Wide of firefighter surveying damage from top of hill

10. Various of smoke blowing amid burned down trees

11. Various of flames along Olive Hill Rd.

SHOTLIST:

1. Pan of canyon

2. Fire trucks next to small smouldering fire

3. Close of untouched house pulls out to charred remains of neighbour's home

4. Pan from burned out car and truck to rest of burned out home

5. Close of cracked base in rubble

6. Pan right to left along burned out vehicle

7. Police tape across charred remains of home

8. Close of paper still smouldering widens out to burned out home with one wall still standing

9. Woman - Cindy Hochman walking through her house that narrowly survived fire walks outside where her deck is burned

(UPSOUND: "It's burned in the back of the house, it looks like a fireman - somebody grabbed a hose - the hose went that way, I don't know."

Another woman(name unknown) - "and they say that the heat pops the windows")

10. Close of burned outdoor cooking grill

(UPSOUND- "It's 20 years , but that didn't go either, I don't know how they did it, I just don't know how they did it.")

11. Close of street sign amongst burnt out woods pulls out to woman

(UPSOUND - "And when I woke up, this is my bedroom here, this is my bedroom here and I smelled the smoke at 3:30 and I thought I was dreaming and I got up and I moved the shade and that whole hill. Right there, that whole hillside right here was all, was all ablaze, all ablaze.")

12. Close of burned out motorcycle

13. Walking view of burned out stairway leading to burned out house

14. Two firemen putting out a smouldering fire

15. Close of burned deck pulls out to two women inside bedroom looking out window

16. Close of woman's reaction then pulls to two women placing black plastic over window

17. Close of burned debris pans and pushes to exterior of intact house/exterior of bedroom window

STORYLINE:

As the massive fires threatening Malibu died down a bit on Sunday, firemen were taking advantage of the slight lull of the hot dry Santa Ana winds to gain a foothold on the fires.

Officials say about 40 percent are now contained, with a few flames visible to the three water-dropping helicopters deployed over the fire zone.

Forty-nine homes were destroyed Saturday by the fast-moving wildfire pushed by Santa Ana winds.

Twenty-seven other homes were damaged and 10,000 to 14,000 people were evacuated.

Many homes were burned beyond recognition.

For residents able to return, some were pleasantly shocked to see that miraculously their home had survived.

One resident, Cindy Hochman, was stunned that while fires destroyed everything around her house including her deck, hot tub and outdoor grill, her house was still spared.

A ring of fire surrounded and burned everything practically up to her doorway.

"I smelled the smoke at 3:30 and I thought I was dreaming and I got up and I moved the shade and that whole hill, right there, that whole hillside right here was all, was all ablaze, all ablaze," she said.

Her neighbour's home, made mostly of wood, was not so lucky.

All of the homes were destroyed in the fire's initial Saturday morning surge before the winds slowed and firefighters gained a foothold.

With the winds dying down considerably, an estimated half of the evacuees were allowed to return home.

Full containment was expected by Tuesday according to officials.

SHOTLIST

++MUST COURTESY JOSEPH SOUZA++

AP TELEVISION - NO ACCESS NAMERICA/INTERNET

++NIGHT SHOTS++

Santa Barbara, 14 November 2008

1. Various of flames, burning houses and helicopter

AP TELEVISION

Santa Barbara, 14 November 2008

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Larry Williamson, property damaged by fire:

"And I opened the front door and it was just like a waterfall of fire and sparks coming down. I've never seen anything like it."

3. Various of burnt out car

4. Damaged property

5. Close of flame

6. Various of debris from fire

7. Burnt out car, tilt up to home

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kevin Wallace, Montecito Fire District:

"The sundowner winds blew embers all over and it's just something that mother nature is in control and we aren't."

9. Westmont College entrance

10. Burnt out car

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jordan Evans, Westmont College Student:

"It was shocking to see the flames right outside the gym, where all of us were huddled in there, it was surprising to see how fire could get that close to us."

12. Wide shot of fire fighters

13. Flames on hillside

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Chief John Scherrei, Santa Barbara Fire Department:

"I'm surprised we haven't lost 500 homes at this moment, the wind was so strong last night it knocked your door and pinned your door against the car."

15. Fire fighters on hillside

16. Smoke rising

17. Helicopter dropping water on hillside

STORYLINE

US fire officials on Friday said 111 homes had been confirmed destroyed in a celebrity-studded enclave of northern California and that the burned area had expanded to 18-hundred acres (728 hectares).

A Montecito fire spokeswoman said another 15-hundred homes in Montecito were threatened, but that wind conditions in the evening had been relatively mild.

Fierce winds were blamed for fanning the flames that quickly spread across Montecito on Thursday night and into Friday.

The fire began early in the evening on Thursday before it chewed through multi-million US dollars homes whose shattered windows glowed like jack-o-lanterns as they blazed through the night.

Thirteen people were injured in the blaze, which more than one thousand firefighters tried to contain.

A state of emergency was declared in Santa Barbara County and about 54-hundred homes were evacuated in Montecito, a town of 14-thousand where Los Angeles-weary celebrities rub shoulders with friendly locals.

Fuelled by vast stands of oil-rich eucalyptus trees - which exploded when lit - and decades of chaparral and other growth, the fire quickly spread to about 15-hundred acres (607 hectares) - more than two square miles (five square kilometres) - by Friday.

Santa Barbara's county deputy fire chief asked for patience from residents as crews tried to catalogue the devastation in remote hilly areas accessible only by winding roads.

Blistering winds gusting to 70 miles per hour (115 kph), dry brush and oil-rich eucalyptus trees helped turn an ordinary brush fire into an exploding inferno that quickly consumed rows of luxury homes and part of a college, where students spent the night in a gymnasium shelter.

Some one-thousand students were evacuated at Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school, as another 300 spent the night on cots in the gym.

Northern California's wine country was on fire again Monday as strong winds fanned flames in the already scorched region, prompting evacuation orders involving more than 50,000 people.

The fires that began Sunday in the famed Napa-Sonoma wine country north of San Francisco came on the third anniversary of deadly wildfires that erupted in 2017, including one that killed 22 people.

The latest inferno began with the Glass Fire at 3:50 a.m. Sunday and two subsequent fires merged with it, burning 17 square miles (44 square kilometers) as of early Monday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

More than 53,000 people in Sonoma and Napa counties were under evacuation orders, said Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director with Cal Fire. Many more have been warned that they may have to flee.

Paul Lowenthal, another Cal Fire spokesman, said more than 13,000 homes were threatened in Santa Rosa alone.

Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in America to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas, especially because climate change has made California much drier. A drier California means plants are more flammable.

The latest fires erupted as a giant ridge of high pressure settled over the West, producing powerful gusts blowing from the interior toward the coast while slashing humidity levels and raising temperatures, making vegetation ready to burn.

During the weekend, Pacific Gas & Electric turned off electricity to targeted areas where the winds raised the potential for arcing or other power equipment damage that could spark new fires. The utility's equipment has caused previous disasters, including the 2018 Camp Fire that devastated the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Paradise and killed 85 people.

So far this year, more than 8,100 California wildfires have scorched 5,780 square miles (14,970 square kilometers), destroyed more than 7,000 buildings and killed 26 people.

Most of the losses occurred after a frenzy of dry lightning strikes in mid-August ignited a massive outbreak of fires.

Fire worries were also developing Monday across Southern California although it was unclear how strong predicted Santa Ana winds would be. Heat and extreme dryness were expected to be problematic nonetheless.

Santa Rosa, California - 28 September 2020

1. Various of destroyed homes still burning

2. Logan Hertel puts out fire at neighbor's house using garden hose  

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Logan Hertel, Santa Rosa resident:

"I was just driving by and looked to my left and saw it burning. We rushed to the firefighters to try to tell them to put it out. But seems like they got enough on their hands already. So I wanted to step in and put out the fire."

4. Firefighters arrive and relieve Hertel

5. Various of firefighters spraying fires with hoses

6. Dominic Wiggens walks down smoked filled street with his dog

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dominic Wiggens, Santa Rosa resident:

"It got so close. Traffic was so congested. It was crazy getting out of here. Then once I finally got back, it was such a relief that some of our houses were still here but it was a scary night. It was crazy for sure."

(Reporter: "What do you think about your neighbors here?)

"I feel so bad for them. I can imagine how they feel based off how I felt all night thinking I lost my house as well. But I feel so bad for everyone who lost their house last night. It's so sad."

8. Various, firefighter using mounted hose on top of fire truck

SHOTLIST:

ABC (KABC) - No Access North America/Internet

Yucca Valley, California

1. Wide aerial of smoke and fire on mountains

2. Medium aerial of wildfires

3. Close of flames

AP Television

Yucca Valley, California

4. Fire crews and trucks

5. Fire on hillside

6. Wide of smoky plumes

7. Various of firefighters raking up leaves and debris

8. Firefighters mapping out route of fire

9. Close of map

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sergio Sanchez, Santa Barbara County Fire Department:

"Some of the fuel has burned, but hasn't burned real clean so there is a lot of fuel that could still burn again. And although the fire has already burned through here it could absolutely burn again which makes our job that much more dangerous."

AP Television

Pioneertown, California

11. Burnt out house and chimney

12. Charred exercise bicycle

13. Truck burnt out to shell

14. Pan of roadblock with smokey plumes in hills

15. Unidentified woman crying after being informed her home has burned down

16. Residents hugging at roadblock

17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Kedik, Pioneer Town resident:

"They started crying and telling us our house is gone. My wife and I had just semi-retired. I don't have a job, and I don't have a home now. I never thought it would happen to me, to be homeless and jobless, never."

18. Burnt out homes

19. Debris and burnt out grills

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Wally Ross, Pioneer Town resident:

"This place behind me was a friend of mine's. We grew up together so I spent a lot of time here. But yes I am a permanent resident, yes, and my home is down below so I am one of the lucky ones."

21. Burnt out homes

22. Burnt out truck

STORYLINE:

A wildfire that has already burned 40-thousand acres and destroyed one hundred buildings across California, roared through high desert wilderness on Thursday, threatening to merge with a fire in national forest land filled with dead, dry trees.

The blaze, about five miles (eight kilometres) from a 1,200-acre fire in the forest, was mainly consuming fast-burning fuel such as greasewood, Joshua trees and brush.

If it expands from the high desert to the mountains, it could grow more devastating by burning (m) millions of larger trees killed in recent years by a severe bark beetle infestation.

The fire, ignited by weekend lightning, destroyed 42 houses, 55 other buildings and 91 vehicles in and around Yucca Valley, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) east of Los Angeles, authorities said.

As of Thursday morning, it was considered only about one-fourth contained and thousands of structures remained threatened.

Firefighters were busy clearing away brush, in a hope to head off re-ignition of flames that have already passed by.

The blaze sent a column of smoke thousands of feet into the air.

About 1,350 firefighters were battling the larger fire in triple-digit temperatures and strong wind gusts.

Nine firefighters and two civilians were treated for minor burns or smoke inhalation.

Evacuees from Pioneertown were not allowed to return to their homes, with many gathering at the roadblocks leading to the settlement.

Dozens tearfully learned that their homes had been burned to the ground.

Pioneertown is a historic area where Westerns starring Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were filmed, but the fire spared saloons and Western style store fronts used in those movies.

Wildfires have burned more than 4 (m) million acres across the US, almost twice the 10-year average for this time of year, according to US National Interagency Fire Centre.

More than two dozen major fires were scorching California on Thursday and taxing the state's firefighting capacity, sparked by an unprecedented lightning siege that dropped nearly 11,000 strikes over several days.

The fires have destroyed 175 structures, including homes, and are threatening 50,000 more, said Daniel Berlant, an assistant deputy director with the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. In all, 33 civilians and firefighters have been injured, and two people have died.

Most of the activity is in Northern California, where fires have chewed through about 500 square miles (1,25square kilometers) of brushland, rural areas, canyon country and dense forest surrounding San Francisco.

More than 10,000 firefighters are on the front lines, but fire officials in charge of each of the major fire complexes say they are strapped for resources. Some firefighters were working 72-hour shifts instead of the usual 24 hours. The state has requested 375 engines and crew from other states.

In the coastal mountain regions south of San Francisco, where 26,000 people were under orders to evacuate, the CZU complex fire grew overnight to 62 square miles (160 square kilometers). Officials warned it has the potential to grow significantly in the next day.

Given depleted resources, one of the best tools firefighters have for public safety is to get people out of harm's way.

The unusually large size and number of simultaneous fires, other fires throughout the West and the loss of inmate firefighting crews because inmates were released from prisons to prevent the spread of coronavirus, have created the perfect storm for firefighting.

Officials near Santa Cruz are awaiting help from other states, but they are having to look further afield than usual, meaning it will take days for crews to arrive, he said. The U.S. Forest Service can't help because they are busy fighting fires on federal lands.

In addition to about two dozen major blazes, small fires kept erupting, though most were quickly stopped. Crews were also battling blazes in the Sierra Nevada and Southern California wild lands.

In Monterey County along the coast, about 9,000 people have been evacuated for a fire that's now 52 square miles (136 square kilometers).

The fires have claimed two lives, including a Pacific Gas & Electric utility worker assisting with advance clearing who died at a fire in the Vacaville area between San Francisco and Sacramento. The worker was found Wednesday in a vehicle and CPR was performed, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital, Cal Fire said.

California State Parks announced full or partial closures of more than two dozen parks, including Big Basin Redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the park headquarters and other facilities were damaged. The park featuring towering stands of ancient coast redwoods dates to 1902 and is the state's oldest.

Bonny Doon, California - 20 August 2020

1. Various of homes and structures burning

Felton, California - 20 August 2020

2. Steve Walsh in front of trailer with car and tools

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Walsh, wildfire evacuee:

"By tomorrow, maybe you know, I'll know more, but pretty much I'm I'm thinking we're going to lose the house."

Bonny Doon, California - 20 August 2020

3. Various of homes and trees burning

Felton, California - 20 August 2020

4. Ryan Vierra talking to someone in van

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ryan Vierra, wildfire evacuee:

"I'm really worried because if it burns down the next few days, I don't have a place to live."

California firefighters `taxed to the limit' seeking help

Bonny Doon, California - 20 August 2020

6. Various of firefighters using shovels and water to put out flames near house

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Mugs Hammer, Bonny Doon resident:

"Just trying to make some firebreaks, do what we can. But with this wind and the hot spots, shoot, we could this could all be for nothing. It's just could be an exercise in futility because, you know, all it takes is one spark to jump. I mean, that house wasn't burning in half an hour ago. Neither was that."

8. Various of homes and structures burning next to road

Ben Lomond, California - 20 August 2020

9. Chris Camperi standing in front of family business, Town & Country Lodge

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Camperi, owner, Town & Country Lodge:

"There's a lot going on. The Coronavirus and the heat wave and then the power outages and now the fire. So we're tough people. We'll persevere. So the main thing is that everybody's safe."

Bonny Doon, California - 20 August 2020

11. Telephone pole and trees burning next to road

12. Truck drives on road in front of burning structures

California's fire chief says at least 1,500 homes and commercial buildings have been destroyed in wildfires that have ripped through the state's wine country.

He says numerous people have been injured and a number of residents are also missing as 14 large fires burn.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott say an estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated.

He called the estimates of destroyed structures very conservative. Pimlott says the fires are burning throughout an eight-county swath of Northern California, including Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties.

Pimlott said most of the fires started at about 10 p.m. Sunday and their causes are under investigation. He said firefighters are concentrating on saving lives rather than battling the blazes.

He didn't have an estimate on the number of people hurt and missing.

Santa Rosa, California - 9 October 2017

1. Close of branches on fire

2. Wide of fire truck on its way to burning homes

3. Various of burning homes, car, charred debris

4. Various of firefighters battling flames on home

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Falarski, Santa Clara Fire Department Batallion Chief: ++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

"Our primary objective is structure protection and just trying to stop the spread of the fire into the adjacent houses."

(Off-screen reporter question: Looks like hundreds of homes possibly burned?)

"Hundreds of homes. We just got here this morning. I can't even give you a number."

6. Various of burning homes, firefighters battling flames

7. Various of residents loading up pickup truck with belongings as neighboring home caught in flames

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jan Kreager, Evacuating Santa Rosa Resident: ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

"We're trying to salvage what's going to be up in flames here, looks like pretty soon, so all these nice people - don't know them, but they've all chipped in - we've got most of our valuables out, that I can think of. I'm kind of in shock right now."

9. Pan from residents in driveway to picture in frame in bed of truck

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jan Kreager, Santa Rosa Resident, Evacuating:

"I'm not... I'm in... I'm in shock. I guess... this is your life right here."

11. Wide of residents in driveway

12. Wide of people blowing leaves away from home

13. Wide of man putting out small fires with shovel in dirt

Fire crews are gaining ground against a devastating northern California fire that has destroyed hundreds of homes.

The fire in rural Lake County, less than 100 miles (161 kilometres) north of San Francisco, had been burning largely unchecked since Saturday, despite a massive firefighting effort.

But by Tuesday evening, Cal Fire said the blaze was 30 percent contained.

The blaze so far charred 105 square miles (168 kilometers) and destroyed at least 585 homes.

The Lake County fire, and another about 120 miles (193 kilometres) to the southeast, have displaced 23,000 people and are the worst of a dozen wildfires burning in the state.

Fire crews are gaining ground against a devastating northern California fire that has destroyed hundreds of homes.

The fire in rural Lake County, less than 100 miles (161 kilometres) north of San Francisco, had been burning largely unchecked since Saturday, despite a massive firefighting effort.

But by Tuesday evening, Cal Fire said the blaze was 30 percent contained.

The blaze so far charred 105 square miles (168 kilometers) and destroyed at least 585 homes.

The Lake County fire, and another about 120 miles (193 kilometres) to the southeast, have displaced 23,000 people and are the worst of a dozen wildfires burning in the state.

AP TELEVISION

Middletown – 15 September 2015

1. Various of smoke billowing above hills

2. Air tanker dropping retardant

3. Smoke billowing above hills

4. Air tanker dropping red coloured retardant

5. Smoke above hills

6. Emergency truck alongside building

7. Air tanker dropping red coloured retardant