California wildfire camera destroyed by fast-moving blaze

This is the moment a camera installed to monitor California wildfires was destroyed by a blaze it was filming.

The surviving footage tracks the fire as it makes its way across the hills near Paskenta in northern California, before it abruptly cuts off when the flames reach the tower where the camera is stationed.

Nevada Fire Cams shared the video on YouTube, adding that: “[An] hour of rapid action near the DigitalPath camera site for ALERTWildfire results in a burnover and losing 1 of 2 cameras on the tower.”

Hundreds of fires have burned across California, including 23 major fires or groups of fires that governor Gavin Newsom blamed on “extraordinary weather” and “all of these lightning strikes”.

He said the state has recorded nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours and knows of 367 fires.