A wildfire in the mountains above Los Angeles is threatening 12,000 buildings and continuing to spread.
More than 10,000 people have fled their homes and state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says the fire is “still totally out of control”.
Californian residents have been sending their experiences, pictures and videos of the fire to the BBC. Read and view a selection of them below.
STEVE ALLEN, LA CRESCENTA, CALIFORNIA, SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST
We were ordered to evacuate at 0230 on Sunday morning and spent the next few hours in our car in a safe area a couple of miles from the fires
Since then we have been camping out with friends who have offered us space in their home.
I don’t know exactly how close the fire came to our home, but it was close enough that we were forced to evacuate.
I can only get to within about a mile away from where I live. I cannot go up to the area as the roads are all blocked to stop looting.
The smoke is so dense in the area that you cannot see anything, so it’s hard to be precise about how close the fire is.
The good news is only relatively few homes have been lost. I live in a well established neighbourhood with plenty of houses, but people who live further out are at risk of losing their homes.
Three people who refused to be evacuated from the National Forest are now trapped. Firefighters say it’s too dangerous to go in there.
****SYLVIA AVENESSIAN, LOS ANGELES, SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST ****
I live nearby one of the roads that is on fire.
I have been told to evacuate and have everything packed up and ready go, but I don’t want to leave.
Most people in my area have moved out but I and a few others have decided to stay behind.
My neighbour’s back yard was on fire, but aside from that we have managed to stay out of the direct path of the fire.
But we are watching which way it is headed.
The firefighters have made us feel more comfortable.
We were nervous during the day on Sunday when the fire was at its worst but police and the fire services are calming things.
****YOUR COMMENTS AND PICTURES FROM SATURDAY, 29 AUGUST AND SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST ****
My boss and several of my friends have already been evacuated or have been told to be ready to go. Their streets and houses have been doused with retardant. I live about five miles south of the fire zone. It dominates the horizon even at this distance. By day there is an enormous column of smoke that resembles nothing so much as a massive thunderhead. By night you can see the flames on the mountains and the sky glows orange. The ash in the air constantly irritates your chest, nose and eyes. However, these are small discomforts compared to those suffered by the evacuees and by the incomparably brave men and women who are risking their lives day and night to protect us. I sincerely hope every one of them gets back home safely to their families.
Andrew Gray, Glendale, California (British expat)
I live in Acton, California, it’s a small place, but there was a massive gathering of evacuees and then people with horse trailers were everywhere looking to help them out. Good willed chaos. At that point everything was fine at my house. Then the winds blew and the fire front started to head towards us. We never got an evacuation call, but as an expat Brit and twitchy, I got all valuables together ready to go. I’d like to say how magnificent the firefighters have been, particularly the aircrews. I went from full evacuation mode to calm in four hours thanks exclusively to their efforts. They also saved a wildlife preserve with elephants, lions and tigers. They are awesome!
Andy Smith, Acton, California
I live in Glendale, the fires are about five miles away. It’s scary to wake up to nothing but smoke, cars full of ash, fire trucks going up and down at all times of the day. We have had many fires here as they are pretty common around this time of the year, but this one just seems bigger and harder to control than previous years.
Joselyn Lara, Glendale, California
Even though Glendale is a bit far from the major fires, there is a very real threat that it will continue this way, putting tens of thousands of people at risk. There has been a chilling cloud over the mountains for the past few days and the fire shows no signs of abating.
Henry, Glendale, California
The entire hillside is alight and the air is full of choking smoke. As far as the eye can see in both directions, it’s just palls of smoke and flame leaping 100 feet into the night sky. Two of our brave firefighters lost their lives today. This will be devastating for our wildlife too.
Jan Fox, La Crescenta, California
I can see the smoke of the fire from my kitchen window. Last Wednesday the sun set red not from the weather but from the smoke from the fires. From the movement of the columns of smoke and their colours I can surmise the course of the fire. Since Friday the air has been filled with smoke and smells like burnt matches. In the hottest weather of the season we have to keep all the doors and windows shut in order to breathe.
Marian, Burbank, California
Wildfires have always been a part of life here in California - but the last few years have been pretty bad. We had to evacuate last year. It is a little unnerving being told to leave and not knowing if you are going to have a home to come back to.
Caryn, Paso Robles, California
I work in Pacoima, which is in Northeast San Fernando Valley. I am an asthmatic and Friday I had to leave work early because of the smoke. It wasn’t so bad where I live but I woke up early Sunday morning with the smell of smoke in my apartment, so I would say it’s getting pretty bad in the area. I hope that the weather will change soon so the winds will blow the smoke out to sea.
Therese, North Hollywood, California
I live about 12 miles south of the fire (as the crow flies) and I can vividly see the fire still marching its way to Mount Wilson, where loads of high-powered TV and radio transmission towers are located. The fires are illuminating the hillsides like lava flowing from a volcano, it seems. It is a most impressive sight.
Albert Jarak, Alhambra, California
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