State of Emergency was declared in California after massive wildfires, mostly triggered by lightning strikes during a heat wave that spread across the north and centre of the state. Thousands were evacuated after dozens of houses and structures were burned.
The city of Vacaville comprising of about 100,000 residents located near the state capital Sacramento is part of a series of wildfires that have scorched nearly 50,000 acres (20,200 hectares) in recent days.
"If you're asked to evacuate, please do so SAFELY. Practically every single first responder unit in town is actively working to safely notify, evacuate and fight the fires, so our residents are safe," Vacaville police said on twitter.
Firefighters said in total some 120,000 acres across the state have been torched including 30,000 acres near the wine country of Napa and Sonoma by Wednesday morning.
Some residents of Vacaville could be seen fleeing their homes dressed only in nightclothes as the fires surged across roadways and houses. Several people suffered burns including firefighters.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency late Tuesday to facilitate emergency funds against the wildfires.
California's Death Valley in the past week have been experiencing high temperatures with mercury rising as high as 130 degree Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celcius). The wildfires have spread and intensified because of the record breaking heat.
According to the website PowerOutage.US, the heat wave has also affected the state's power network leaving 30,000 people without electricity.
Last week, bush fires near Lake Hughes, north of Los Angeles, burned 10,000 acres and prompted the evacuation of 500 homes.
