(CNN) A wildfire is hopscotching across a northern California county at a rate of roughly 80 football fields per minute, forcing evacuations, injuring residents and firefighters, and sending families racing from their homes.

A state of emergency has been declared for Butte County due to the effects of the Camp Fire, which began around 6:30 a.m. Thursday and quickly spread, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. By 2:00 p.m. local time, it had grown to 18,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.

Fueled by winds, the wildfire jumped ridges from Pulga to Concow and down into Paradise, a town of 26,000 people about 85 miles north of Sacramento. Residents awoke to the stench of smoke and the morning horizon drenched in an ashen-orange that was difficult to see or drive through, hindering evacuations.

my dad just sent me this from Paradise, said he could hear people's propane tanks blowing up all over town. this does not look good at all, please keep Paradise & all the first responders in your prayers everyone 😓❤️❤️ #CampFire pic.twitter.com/3gyOSBuf17 — moe (@masonmorgann13) November 8, 2018

By 8 a.m. Thursday morning, Paradise resident Tanah Clunies-Ross said she could not see her car from her front door through the cloud of smoke. A fire had broken out in her yard, blocking the path to her car. She feared for her life until a man she didn't know came to her rescue and put it out with a hose.

"Had he not put out that fire, I would not have made it to the car," she said.

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