California wildfires: Homes destroyed by fast-moving blaze

About 50 homes burned to the ground and 1,600 people were evacuated at the height of a fire that hit the city of Clearlake in northern California this week.

What started as a grass fire on Wednesday (18 August) quickly grew in size and speed as it raced towards the city that is situated 80 miles north of San Francisco.

Authorities reported the fire at 1pm local time and within an hour dozens of homes had burned in the blaze, as high winds and dry conditions don’t help local firefighters to tackle the wildfires.