US authorities have ordered more than 10,000 residents of a Californian town to leave their homes as a stubborn wildfire threatens.
A message on the town of Paradise's website by the town manager urged a speedy exit: "Citizens need to immediately evacuate by gathering personal belongings that will fit in your vehicle."
The so-called Butte Lightning Complex fire near Paradise, 120 kilometres north of Sacramento, is one of more than 300 wildfires burning across California after lightning storms swept across the state last month sparking blazes in wilderness areas thick with bone-dry brush and trees.
The Butte fire has burned 49,000 acressince starting June 21st, destroyed at least 50 structures including 40 homes and now threatens an estimated 3,800 more residences, according to firefighting agency Cal Fire.
Nearly 2,800 firefighters and other personnel have contained about 40 percent of the Butte blaze. Fire officials ordered Paradise residents to evacuate should erratic winds push the blaze west toward the town of 26,000.
"The winds have been very tricky," said Anne McLean, a spokeswoman for fire crews fighting the blaze. "They tend to move around and change direction."
Meanwhile, nearly 2,300 firefighters and other personnel in the Big Sur area have contained 27 per cent of the Basin Complex fire, another blaze sparked by lightning on June 21st that has burned nearly 87,000 acres in the scenic region along central California's coastline.