Driver films dramatic escape from California wildfires

Video has emerged of a driver escaping the Californian wildfires that have been tearing across the state’s countryside.

The footage shows trees and buildings being consumed by flames on both sides of the road as the motorist makes his escape.

Watch the daring escape here.

The driver admitted that he had left his departure to the last minute, writing: “We did wait way too long to get out. We are the last house at the very back of the Springs, down in a gulch. There was no smoke or ash coming our way, and there were no sirens or air support nearby, so we honestly didn't know how close it was.”

The video was filmed in Anderson Springs, California, where the so-called Valley Fire has already consumed 61,000 acres of land in just two days.

Meanwhile the Butte Fire in Sierra Nevada has already grown to 70,000 acres. On Monday Mark Ghilarducci, director of Emergency Services, reported that around 23,000 had been displaced by both blazes.

So far there has been one confirmed death while residents are still missing.

Firefighters have built containment lines in an effort to combat the flames, while Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in the Northern California areas affected.