【2001 Archives】

001 Archivesdestructive Camp Fire has already burned over 18,000 acres of Butte County, Northern California as of Thursday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Since starting at 6:30 a.m. PT just north of Sacramento, the fire is consuming 80 acres per minute — photos show that smoke is already reaching the Bay Area about 150 miles away.

A combination of profoundly dry vegetation and heavy winds are contributing to the fire's explosive pattern. Over the course of the day, evacuation orders were issued in Paradise, Concow, and Pulga, towns about 200 miles north of San Francisco.

Butte County Sherriff Kory Honea told the Chico Enterprise-Recordthat "it's bad."

"We're trying to get as many people out as quickly as possible and save as many lives as we can," he said.

Photos and videos on social media show just how intense the massive wildfire has become.

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Satellite footage shows how rapidly the fire grew in California.

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The dry heat and limited rainfall — in some places, no rainfall at all — contributed to the fire's spread.

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According to the National Weather Service, the strong winds are expected to continue through Friday.