Thousands of residents in Southern California were forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires raged uncontrollably for more than 24 hours, international media reported.
The brush fire has scorched 5,800 hectares, fuelled by unusually warm temperatures and strong winds.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said more than 10,000 evacuation orders have been issued and federal resources have been mobilized to fight the blaze.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for several counties, including Ventura and Los Angeles, which will remain in effect until Friday morning.
Ventura County is under an “extremely critical” wildfire warning as firefighters struggle to contain the blaze’s spread.
Video footage of the disaster shows huge flames engulfing buildings as black smoke rises into the sky.