Update: Death Toll From California Fires Rises To 29, Two New Fires Appear

Paradise residents fleeing California wildfire got trapped in traffic as death toll rises to 29

• The town of Paradise has been almost completely destroyed by Camp Fire in California, which has killed 29
• Majority of deaths have occurred in Paradise, with seven bodies being found in their cars while trying to flee  
• Residents described chaos as roads snarled up when they tried to leave, some had to run on foot to escape
• It is believed that the Camp fire may have been sparked by downed PG&E power lines, officials have revealed
• The Camp fire blaze has since destroyed 113,000 acres and was 25 per cent contained as of Monday morning 
• The Woolsey and Hill fires continue to burn in Southern California and are being fueled by Santa Ana winds 

Two new wildfires have broken out in Southern California as the state continues to fight back blazes that have left 31 dead and wreaked havoc for days. 

Firefighters were already battling the deadly Woolsey fire, which has killed two people and is only 20 per cent contained, as well as the Hill fire when two new blazes suddenly sparked on Monday. 

The Lynn fire broke out in Thousand Oaks, which is still reeling from a horrific mass shooting that took 12 lives last week. 

Two new wildfires have broken out in Southern California as the state continues to fight back blazes that have left 31 dead and wreaked havoc for days. Pictured is the Peak fire on California State Route 118

The California Highway Patrol has since closed part of the 118 freeway as firefighters worked to fight back against the blaze 

It burned five acres as of Monday morning but the Ventura County Fire Department said the threat to nearby structures was 'diminishing' as firefighters were able to 'get a handle' on the flames, according to LAist. 

By 11.45am officials said surrounding homes were not under threat and that the fire was holding.   

Meanwhile, a new blaze dubbed the Peak fire was seen burning right by the 118 Freeway in Simi Valley. It was reported around 10.30am and at least 105 acres have been burned. 

Fire crews said they stopped forward progress of the flames around 1pm. 

People could be seen turning their cars around and driving the wrong way on the freeway to get away from the smoke and flames. The California Highway Patrol temporarily closed part of the 118 Freeway as firefighters worked to contain the flames. 

Two water-dropping helicopters and a firefighting airplane were spotted at the scene and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department initially issued evacuation orders for nearby residents.

The statewide total of deaths from wildfires is now at 31, including two people who died inside a car in Malibu while trying to flee the Woolsey fire on Sunday night. 

Smoke from the initial three California wildfires have been so intense that they even reached the metro Detroit area by Monday. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association maps showed smoke from the wildfires stretching across the US. 

Officials said that smoke is expected to stay present in Detroit until around 7pm, according to WXYZ.   

Firefighters put out a red weather alert late in Southern California on Sunday, fearing high Santa Ana winds could reach up to 50mph and keep fanning the flames into Tuesday - making things worse before they get better.

Huge plumes of smoke rose in the fire area, which stretches miles from the northwest corner of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley to the Malibu coast. 

'Sadly, with these winds, it's not over yet,' Scott Jalbert, chief of Cal Fire's San Luis Obispo Unit, said Sunday morning.  

A one-day lull did allow firefighters to gain 20 per cent control of the Woolsey fire, which has burned more than 91,572 acres since Thursday.

At least seven people burned to death inside their vehicles while trying to escape from Paradise on Thursday as 27,000 people packed on to a four-lane road - the only route out of town that wasn't blocked.

Survivors sat in miles-long tailback as flames licked at their car doors, while others jumped out and ran, carrying pets and valuables. 

Greg Woodcox who led a caravan of vehicles that was overcome by flames from a wildfire says he saw his friend die.

Woodcox said Monday that he heard his friend scream as the heat blew out windows. Four other people in the vehicles died. Woodcox said he was too exhausted to talk more by phone.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, the 58-year-old said he was in a Jeep ahead of the other vehicles and ran when the flames overtook them.

He said he followed a fox to a path down a steep embankment, and he survived by submerging himself in a stream for nearly an hour.