A wildfire raging through Northern California's coastal mountains has more than doubled in size forcing thousands from their homes. The blaze, now in its fifth day, has ripped through 54,000 acres of canyons and foothills east of Lower Lake, 110 miles north of San Francisco leaving dozens of buildings in charred ruins.
More than 12,000 people have either been ordered to evacuate or urged to leave their homes as 9,000 firefighters battle to contain 20 fierce wildfires across California.
Some 20,000 acres of scrub oak and brush ravaged by the fire over a five-hour period on Saturday night represented 'unprecedented growth in that short amount of time,' he added.
By Sunday evening, the blaze had blackened another 7,000 acres along the rugged eastern flanks of California's Northern Coast Ranges, officials said.
After destroying 24 homes and 26 outbuildings last week, the fire continued to threaten an estimated 6,300 structures and has forced the closure of parts of two state highways, Cal Fire said.
More than 12,000 people have received mandatory evacuation orders or advisories, while ground crews have managed to carve containment lines around just five percent of the fire's perimeter in the past two days, officials said.
Around 2,700 personnel were battling the Rocky Fire alone by Sunday night, about a third of the state's total force.
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