Thousands flee Northern California wildfires

KXTV-TV, Sacramento, Calif.

Show Caption Hide Caption Man fleeing Northern California wildfire: 'The road was on fire' Residents evacuated their homes with only handfuls of belongings as the Butte fire quickly ballooned in Calaveras County. Some people have had to leave their pets behind, in the county's care, as they wait out the aggressive flames.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thousands of people fled their homes Saturday, as four firefighters suffered burns while battling a blaze in Northern California.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said the firefighters, who were members of a helicopter crew based in Lake County, each suffered second-degree burns. They were airlifted to a hospital and listed in stable condition.

The Valley Fire, which started Saturday afternoon in Lake County northwest of Sacramento, grew quickly to more than 15 square miles and forced residents to flee, Cal Fire reported. A total of 139 personnel were fighting the fire.

An unconfirmed number of structures were destroyed. Entire towns as well as residents along a 35-mile stretch of highway were evacuated.

4 firefighters from @CAL_FIRE Copter 104 suffered burn injuries this afternoon on the #ValleyFire. Being transported to area burn center. — CAL FIRE PIO Berlant (@CALFIRE_PIO) September 12, 2015

The cause of the Valley Fire is under investigation.

Meanwhile, a wildfire that grew rapidly over two days in Amador and Calaveras counties was about 15% contained Saturday, and firefighters continued to battle the blaze that forced some residents to evacuate their homes.

The Butte Fire had grown to about 101 square miles Friday night.

"It's expanding like a balloon," said state fire spokeswoman Nancy Longmore. "It's moving very fast. There's many homes threatened. … This fire is extremely dangerous."

Bright orange flames burning in the hills were visible from the edge of San Andreas, a gold-rush town about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento whose 2,700 residents were all told to evacuate briefly Friday before the fire shifted and they were allowed stay — for now.

Cooler weather was forecast for later Saturday, but people in San Andreas were told they may still have to clear out.

"You are advised that if you see smoke or fire approaching your community, evacuate the area immediately to a safe location," Cal Fire Incident Commander Phill Veneris said in a press release.

Hundreds of people from smaller surrounding communities fled their homes and filled up evacuation centers, one of which had to be moved twice to get it a safe distance from the flames.

Michelle Griffiths checked on livestock Saturday in Angels Camp, a quaint town made famous by Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Tale of the Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” She spent much of the night rescuing her neighbors’ four horses and several cats from their home in Mountain Ranch in the foothills threatened by the fire.

“People were running for their lives two nights ago,” which is when her neighbors left their house and livestock for a motel, Griffiths said.

“Fortunately, our house is still standing” and so is the neighbors’, she said.

Authorities said Saturday that the fire has destroyed 86 homes, and thousand more are threatened.

The fire started around 2:30 p.m. PT Wednesday just east of the town of Jackson.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Friday for Amador and Calaveras. About 3,800 firefighters were assigned to fight the fire. The cause is under investigation.

Approximately 6,400 utility customers were without power in the wildfire area, according to PG&E. The company reported that 4,000 of those customers are in Calaveras County and the other 2,400 are in Amador.

Contributing: The Associated Press