Update: Town Of Paradise, California Destroyed By Fire

Update: Hundreds trapped and thousands flee an area of northern California as blaze swells to 5,000 acres

• Acting California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Northern California
• In the town of Paradise, about 180 miles northeast of San Francisco at least 27,000 people in the town were ordered to flee
• The Camp Fire ignited at 6:30am Thursday and burned over 20,000 acres - it is zero percent contained
• Several injuries have been reported, but there have been no confirmed fatalities so far
• Hundreds of structures have already been destroyed, but the exact number is still unknown
• National Weather Service say low humidity and strong winds were expected to continue through Friday 
• At one stage, more than 60 people were reported to be trapped inside a Walgreen’s in  the town, waiting for buses to shuttle them to safety

A town of 27,000 people has been ‘pretty much destroyed’ by a raging wildfire that forced terrified residents to flee their homes clutching pets and babies and collapsing pillions fell across roads.

The northern California town of Paradise and the surrounding area of around 15 square miles has been hit by devastating blaze which was swept through the area by a dry wind.

Thousands of people fled the fast-moving wildfire which quickly spread out-of-control as mountain winds swept the flames through the community, engulfing homes and destroying businesses. 

Some were clutching babies and pets as they abandoned vehicles and struck out on foot ahead of the flames that forced the evacuation of an entire town and destroyed hundreds of buildings.

Along with low humidity levels, the strong winds blowing northeast were blamed for the fire's rapid movement - as humidity is expected to drop to five to ten per cent.

A red flag warning was in effect from this morning, meaning firefighters face a battle against the high dry winds and low humidity that help spread the wildfire.

The flames have been described as 'growing uncontrollably' by fire officials as they sweep across Butte County, California, at a rate of about 80 football fields per minute. 

Flames were engulfing homes, utility poles were crashing down and explosions were going off as people fled to safety, one witness said.

As she fled, Gina Oviedo described a devastating scene as she evacuated the town in which flames engulfed homes, sparked explosions and toppled utility poles.  

She said: 'Things started exploding. People started getting out of their vehicles and running.'   

Late last night more than 2,200 firefighters were battling the flames and the Camp Fire remains completely uncontained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean late last night: 'Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it's that kind of devastation. The wind that was predicted came and just wiped it out.'

McLean says a wind-whipped wildfire destroyed thousands of structures but he said they won't have an exact count, nor have an idea over the extent of any injuries until they can get into the dangerous area. 

The town of about 27,000 people 180 miles northeast of San Francisco was evacuated as businesses and homes were leveled or in flames, including a liquor store, a gas station and a Jack In the Box fast food restaurant.

The town was ordered to evacuate the fast-moving wildfire that exploded in size Thursday forcing panicked residents to race to help neighbors and drive through walls of flames to escape.