A deadly wildfire in northern California has killed two people and left nine people missing. 

The fires, which broke out in Shasta county on Thursday, are currently being sucked up by strong winds to form ‘fire tornados’ that are uprooting trees and overturning cars, fire officials say.

At least 500 structures have been destroyed in its wake with more damage expected, officials say.

TOPSHOT - A burning home is reflected in a pool during the Carr fire in Redding, California on July 27, 2018. One firefighter has died and at least two others have been injured as wind-whipped flames tore through the region. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSONJOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images
The deadly wildfire in northern California has killed two people and forced thousands of people to flee their homes (Picture: AFP)
A car passes through flames on Highway 299 as the Carr Fire burns through Shasta, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze destroyed multiple homes and at least one historic building. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The fires, which broke out in Shasta county on Thursday, are currently being sucked up by strong winds to form ‘fire tornadoes’ that are uprooting trees and overturning cars, fire officials say (Picture: AP)
A woman, who declined to give her name, surveys damage to her grandmother's house after the Carr Fire burned through Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A woman surveys damage to her grandmother’s house after the fire burned through Redding on Friday (Picture: AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze which started on Monday and scorched over 48,000 acres (194 sq km) of land.

Two firefighters,  fire inspector Jeremy Stoke, and a bulldozer operator who has not yet been named, died trying to battle the blaze.

Entire neighbourhoods have been left smouldering, and 37,000 people were under evacuation orders.

Resident Liz Williams, who loaded two children in her car and then found herself locked in bumper-to-bumper traffic with neighbours trying to retreat from Lake Redding Estates, said: ‘I’ve never experienced something so terrifying in my life.

‘I didn’t know if the fire was just going to jump out behind a bush and grab me and suck me in. I wanted out of here.’

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Daniel Kim/Sacramento Bee via ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock (9772589a) Firefighters attempt to save homes on Ridge Drive as the Carr Fire burns into the city of Redding on Thursday night. The Carr Fire in Shasta County leveled dozens of homes in the Redding area, killed two people and forced evacuation orders for more than 37,000 people after it jumped the Sacramento River Thursday. California Wildfires, USA - 27 Jul 2018
Firefighters attempt to save homes on Ridge Drive as the wildfire burns into the city of Redding on Thursday night. (Picture: Rex)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Neal Waters/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock (9772590c) The Carr fire outside of Redding in northern California grew to nearly 29,000 acres Thursday and continued to show strong fire activity all night. California Wildfires, USA - 27 Jul 2018
The fire outside of Redding in northern California grew to nearly 29,000 acres (Picture: Rex)
A couple, who declined to give their names, passes homes leveled by the Carr Fire in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. Officials say the extremely erratic wildfire in and around the city of Redding is growing rapidly amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A couple view the damage caused by the fires (Picture: AP)

The flames moved so fast that firefighters working in oven-like temperatures and bone-dry conditions had to drop efforts to battle the blaze at one point to help people escape.

Scott McLean, a spokesman for Cal Fire, the state agency responsible for fighting wildfires said: ‘The fire, which created at least two flaming tornados that toppled trees, shook firefighting equipment and busted truck windows, took down everything in its path.’

Fire officials warned that the blaze would probably burn deeper into urban areas before there was any hope of containing it, though it either changed direction or was stopped before it could burn into the core of the city.

Flames engulf trees near a road during the Carr fire in Redding, California on July 27, 2018. Two firefighters have died and more than 100 homes have burned as wind-whipped flames tore through the region. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSONJOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images
Flames engulf trees near a road in Redding, California (Picture: AFP)
Flames from the Carr Fire lick above a Cal Fire truck in Whiskeytown, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
At least 500 structures have been destroyed in its wake with more damage expected, officials say.(Picture: AP)
An historic schoolhouse burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018. The wildfires have been fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity in the area. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
An historic schoolhouse burns as the fire tears through Shasta (Picture: AP)

Redding sits at the northern end of the agricultural Central Valley, surrounded by a scenic landscape.

Rivers channel abundant winter rainfall into massive reservoirs used for boating and fishing. The area’s stunning mountains, including snow-capped Mount Shasta, topping 14,000ft (4,265m), are a playground for outdoor enthusiasts.

Lightning and even a lawn mower have sparked devastating fires in the forests that ring the peaks and lakes. The blaze that broke out on Monday was caused by a mechanical issue involving a vehicle, officials said.

The fire rapidly expanded on Thursday when erratic flames swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, then cast the Sacramento River in an orange glow as they jumped the banks into Redding.

REDDING, CA - JULY 27: A view of homes that were destroyed by the Carr Fire on July 27, 2018 in Redding, California. A Redding firefighter and bulldozer operator were killed battling the fast moving Carr Fire that has burned over 44,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes. The fire is 3 percent contained. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Redding sits at the northern end of the agricultural Central Valley, surrounded by a scenic landscape (Picture: Getty)
REDDING, CA - JULY 27: A motorcycle sits next to a home that was destroyed by the Carr Fire on July 27, 2018 in Redding, California. A Redding firefighter and bulldozer operator were killed battling the fast moving Carr Fire that has burned over 44,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes. The fire is 3 percent contained. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A motorcycle sits next to a home that was destroyed by the fires (Picture: Getty)

Steve Hobson, a former firefighter, said flames on the distant hillside looked like solar flares on the sun.

He had planned to stay behind to save his house on Lake Redding Drive. But the heat burned his skin, and smoke made it hard to breathe. He could feel the fire sucking the air from around him, whipping up swirling embers in a ‘fire tornado’, he said.

He had to drive through walls of flaming embers on both sides of the street when he finally fled. A tree fell right in front of him.

Hobson said: ‘I didn’t know if I’d make it, so I just got in the middle of the street, went down the middle of the street through the embers and the smoke and made it past.’

July 27, 2018 - Redding, California, USA - Redding, California, U.S. - The Carr fire outside of Redding in northern California grew to nearly 29,000 acres Thursday and continued to show strong fire activity all night. (Credit Image: ? Neal Waters via ZUMA Wire) Pictured: fires and aftermath in Redding,California Ref: SPL5012680 270718 NON-EXCLUSIVE Picture by: Zuma/Splash News / SplashNews.com Splash News and Pictures Los Angeles: 310-821-2666 New York: 212-619-2666 London: 0207 644 7656 Milan: +39 02 4399 8577 Sydney: +61 02 9240 7700 photodesk@splashnews.com World Rights, No Argentina Rights, No Belgium Rights, No China Rights, No Czechia Rights, No Finland Rights, No Hungary Rights, No Japan Rights, No Mexico Rights, No Netherlands Rights, No Norway Rights, No Peru Rights, No Portugal Rights, No Slovenia Rights, No Sweden Rights, No Switzerland Rights, No Taiwan Rights
The flames moved so fast that firefighters working in oven-like temperatures and bone-dry conditions had to drop efforts to battle the blaze at one point to help people escape (Picture: Zuma/Splash News / SplashNews.com)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Neal Waters/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock (9771977q) The Carr fire moved along highway 299 so quickly many cars were left behind. Wildfire, Redding, California, USA - 27 Jul 2018
The fire moved along highway 299 so quickly many cars were left behind (Picture: Rex)
California State Parks Superintendent Lori Martin keeps watch on historic buildings as the Carr Fire burns a residence in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
California State Parks Superintendent Lori Martin keeps watch on historic buildings as the fire burns a residence in Shasta (Picture: AP)
A sudden flare up early in the morning caught this house on fire along highway 299. Firefighters doused the flames trying to save what they could of the home. Two people were killed and thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate. The fire has destroyed at least 15 structures and damaged five others. The fire doubled in size and burning 44,450 acres, with only 3% containment Friday morning. 27 Jul 2018 Pictured: A sudden flare up early in the morning caught this house on fire along highway 299. Firefighters doused the flames trying to save what they could of the home. Two people were killed and thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate. The fire has destroyed at least 15 structures and damaged five others. The fire doubled in size and burning 44,450 acres, with only 3% containment Friday morning. Photo credit: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
Firefighters douse flames trying to save what they can of this home (Picture: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA)

When he returned Friday, his fence had burned along with a backyard shed and everything inside it – Christmas ornaments, china and old televisions. But his house made it through the harrowing night.

Others’ homes in the haphazard path of destruction were not so lucky. Where some houses stood unscathed, single walls or chimneys were all that remained of others.

66 homes were destroyed in Hobson’s neighbourhood and another 60 gone in Keswick Lake Estates.

Elsewhere in the state, large fires continued to burn outside Yosemite National Park and in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles near Palm Springs.

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