
One person has been killed as a raging, rapidly moving wildfire threatens to consume a northern California city with a population of 90,000 people.

Dozens of homes and businesses have already been burned to the ground in Redding, residents are evacuating, and local TV presenters were forced to flee while on air.

A bulldozer operator died in the Carr Fire, a terrifying blaze in Shasta County that has tripled in size over the last two days to 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares), the state's forestry and fire protection department, Cal Fire said.

The blaze crossed the Sacramento River and now threatens hundreds of homes on the western fringes of the city of Redding.

The Carr Fire burns a structure along Highway 299 in Shasta, California, on Thursday, July 26. Flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of about 90,000 people and the largest in the region

A wall of smoke and flames are seen above as a wildfire spreads through Redding, in California. The blaze crossed the Sacramento River and now threatens hundreds of homes in the city

A house burns during the Carr Fire in Redding, California on July 27, 2018. One person died, several firefighters and an unknown number of civilians have suffered burns

Information from the City of Redding showing mandatory evacuation zones as of 4am local time on Friday (in red), alongside data from energy company Pacific Gas and Electricity showing areas inaccessible due to the fire as of 1am local time

Late yesterday, crews found the body of a bulldozer operator who was hired privately to clear vegetation in the blaze's path, said Scott McLean, a Cal Fire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze.

The fire burned over the operator and his equipment, making the man the second bulldozer operator killed in a California blaze in less than two weeks.

Three firefighters and an unknown number of civilians have suffered burns, but the extent of their injuries was not known, McLean said.

'It's just chaotic. It's wild,' he said. 'There's a lot of fire, a lot of structures burning.'

A real estate sign is seen in front of a burning home during the Carr Fire in Redding, California on July 27. Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze on Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines

Cal Fire crews work to control and slow the fire as it backs into the containment line. The goal is to not extinguish the fire but to control it so that it burns slowly. Preventing further flare-ups is the goal

Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze on Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines, he said.

'It's just a heck of a fight,' he said. 'They're doing what they can do and they get pushed out in a lot of cases. We're fighting the fight right now.'

He said the fire behavior was so erratic, there were tornadoes within the fire 'tossing around equipment, blowing windows out of Cal Fire pickup trucks'.

'Chaotic' scenes were reported across Redding, a city of 90,000 people, as fast-approaching flames destroyed at least 15 structures, forcing evacuations when officials urged residents to flee the fire's path, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Despite the efforts of firefighters to contain the wildfire, a house burns during the Carr Fire in Redding, California

Pictured above, on July 26, in Idyllwild, California, the Cranston fire is shown burning trees early as the blaze spread across 4,700 acres

Roads out of the city were jammed with motorists trying to escape the flames, social media postings showed. Thousands of residents were forced to flee the blaze.

Residents of western Redding who had not been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange.

'When it hit, people were really scrambling,' McLean said. 'There was not much of a warning.'

Many firefighters turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive.

The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Redding, on Thursday, July 26. Residents were evacuated to a nearby college and elementary school as firefighters fought to contain the blaze

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Shasta and Riverside Counties on Thursday over the Carr and Cranston fires, which were being supercharged by temperatures above 100F (37C), erratic winds and low humidity

'Really we're in a life-saving mode right now in Redding,' said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. 'We're not fighting a fire. We're trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area.'

Some residents drove to hotels or the homes of family members in safer parts of California, while other evacuees poured into a shelter just outside of town.

A reporter with KRCR-TV in Redding choked up as she reported live updates about the fire before the station had to go off the air later.

Two news anchors told viewers that the building was being evacuated and urged residents to 'be safe'

The station's listeners have posted about their experience, and advice to others, above

Redding residents were also urged to help evacuate animals in the area, including horses and goats at the rodeo grounds

The station was providing live coverage of the fire that has destroyed dozens of homes when news anchors Allison Woods and Tamara Damante announced on air that they were evacuating, late Thursday night.

The presenters said: ‘We’ve been here live, and right now we’re being evacuated. We are kind of closing out right now. We are going to leave the station because it is now unsafe to be here.

'We have all the information on our website, and we will be updating you from there as much as you can. Please evacuate everyone and stay safe. Goodnight.’

A residence burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta. More than 1,700 firefighters have been battling the blaze, Cal Fire said in an evening advisory

Residents of western Redding who hadn't been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange

Journalists at the Record Searchlight newspaper tweeted about continuing to report on the fire without electricity in their newsroom, while a reporter at KHSL-TV wrote on Twitter that the station's Redding reporters were 'running home to gather their things'.

Mike Mangas, a spokesman at Mercy Medical Center, said the hospital was evacuating five babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for premature newborns, and taking them to medical facilities outside of the area.

Scott McLean said the blaze had been ignited by the mechanical failure of a vehicle, adding: 'The fire is moving so fast that law enforcement is doing evacuations as fast as we can. It's way too dynamic and burning quickly.'

Two residents who chose not to leave the city were 61-year-old Rob Wright and his wife, who planned to fight off flames from approaching their house with a high-powered water hose.

Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta. Local and state fire officials have not as yet been able to confirm details of injuries

Above: One of 15 structures to burn as the Carr Fire raced along Highway 299 near Redding, California, on Thursday July 26

A water tender operator drinks a beverage after trying to save a home burning in Shasta. One person was killed in a rapidly moving wildfire that sent residents fleeing from a northern California city on Friday as homes and businesses burned and power was cut, fire officials said

'We were fortunate enough that the wind changed about hours ago and it is pushing the fire back,' said Wright, at about 1.15am, local time. 'We are just waiting it out... crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.'

Cal Fire said in an evening advisory that 1,748 fire personnel were battling the wildfire, along with 110 fire engines, 10 helicopters and 22 bulldozers. About 500 structures were ‘threatened’ by the approaching inferno.

It added: ‘The fire became very active throughout the day. Firefighters continue to work aggressively to build containment lines around the Carr Fire.

'Their efforts have been hampered today due to extreme fire behavior and unfavorable weather conditions. Continued hot dry weather is forecast for the remainder of the week with triple digit temperatures.’

McLean said: 'Right now they're doing what they can, they're trying to make a stand where they can, if possible. It's extreme. It's blowing up off and on again.'

He added that the wildfire was in an area of rolling hills and not in 'house-to-house neighborhoods.'

California State Parks Superintendent Lori Martin keeps watch on historic buildings as the Carr Fire burns a residence in Shasta, above

'The fire is moving so fast that law enforcement is doing evacuations as fast as we can. There have been some injuries to civilians and firefighters,' said Scott McLean, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

The Carr Fire also tore through Shasta State Historic Park in California. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze destroyed multiple homes and at least one historic building

Video footage and images posted on social media showed flames engulfing structures as an orange glow lit up the night sky.

Residents were evacuated to a nearby college and elementary school and a local ABC news station stopped covering the fire in order to evacuate. The Mercy Medical Center in Redding evacuated its neonatal intensive care unit, it said in a statement.

Multiple power outages were reported, the city said on its website, adding that the electric utility was shutting off power in its northern areas.

A firefighter battles flames near Shasta. The so-called Carr Fire outside Redding swept across a river late Thursday and is only six per cent contained

A burning home is reflected in a pool during the Carr Fire in Redding, which is 'taking down everything in its path,' said Scott McLean, a Cal Fire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Shasta and Riverside Counties on Thursday over the Carr and Cranston fires, which were being supercharged by temperatures above 100F (37C), erratic winds and low humidity.

Traffic out of the city was backed up, with journeys that normally take 20 minutes reaching two-and-a-half hours as residents fled to safety.

Firefighters tried in vain to contain the blaze on Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines.

The 45-square-mile fire that began on Monday tripled in size overnight amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions.

Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and forced campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer.

Earlier in the day with flames exploding around Whiskeytown Lake, an effort to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety, wasn't swift enough to spare them all.

Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina.

'The boat docks down there - all the way out in the water - 30 to 40 boats caught fire when the fire laid down on top of them last night and burned those up,' said fire Chief Mike Hebrard of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Firefighters regroup while battling the Carr Fire, above. The blaze, one of many that have charred California this summer, has chewed up more than 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares). It grew by nearly 10,000 acres on Thursday alone

Marin County firefighters wait outside the Mercy Medical Center emergency room as an injured crew member receives treatment on Thursday, July 26 in Redding. Fueled by high temperatures and wind, the Carr Fire exploded Thursday leveling homes, burning three firefighters and killing a bulldozer operator

A fire truck crosses Whiskeytown Lake as the Carr Fire burns near Whiskeytown in California. An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities Thursday before reaching the city of Redding, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, burning three firefighters, destroying homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee

Governor Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorise the state to rally resources to local governments.

The wildfires have dispatched firefighters to all corners of the state amid an oppressive heatwave.

A huge forest fire continued to grow outside Yosemite National Park. That blaze killed 36-year-old Braden Varney, a heavy equipment operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection whose bulldozer rolled over into a ravine on July 14.

The Carr Fire burns above Whiskeytown Lake near Whiskeytown, California, on July 26. With flames exploding around the lake, an effort to save boats at a marina by untying them from moorings and pushing them to safety wasn't swift enough to spare them all. Dozens of charred, twisted and melted boats were among the losses at Oak Bottom Marina

About 100 homes were still under threat in the San Francisco Bay community of Clayton, although firefighters had stopped the progress of a small fire there after one house burned.

Hundreds of miles to the south, winds picked up and sent flames rushing downhill on the flanks of southern California's Mount San Jacinto.

Helicopters making water drops and air tankers pouring red flame retardant circled overhead as flames burned both sides of the main road leading to the scenic town of Idyllwild.

The blaze erupted on Wednesday and quickly turned into a wall of flame that torched timber and dry brush. In a matter of hours, the so-called Cranston Fire grew to 7.5 square miles.

About 3,000 residents were under evacuation orders on Thursday in Idyllwild and several neighbouring communities.

The burnt-out shell of a vehicle in Idyllwild, after a fire swept through the neighborhood on July 26. Located hundreds of miles to the south of Redding, the Cranston fire grew to 7.5 square miles (19 square kilometers) and about 3,000 residents remain under evacuation orders in Idyllwild and several neighboring communities. This fire, which destroyed five homes, is believed to have been sparked by arson

Devastating scenes from Idyllwild in California, above, where thousands of residents have had to be evacuated from homes