California fire: Wildfire visible from space forces evacuation in town of Paradise

Tens of thousands are under an evacuation order.

The massive plume from the Camp Fire, burning in the Feather River Canyon near Paradise, Calif., wafts over the Sacramento Valley as seen from Chico, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (David Little/Chico Enterprise-Record via AP) (AP)

Tens of thousands of people are being ordered to evacuate as a wildfire, called Camp Fire, rages near a Northern California town.

The city of Paradise, which is about 100 miles from California’s capital city of Sacramento, has around 27,000 people. Roads are closed and areas have been evacuated as firefighters contain the blaze, raging on the western edge of Plumas National Forest. There is a large dark cloud over the city, and ash is falling on neighbouring cities as well.

Gizmodo reports that the fire is consuming 80 acres a minute, and the smoke is clearly visible from space. A dry season, strange weather patterns, housing built on the edge of forests, and strong winds carrying flames quickly have all converged to make a fire that

Shelters have opened in the college town of Chico, California, and nearby Oroville.

Gridlock has forced some people to flee their cars on foot, the New York Times reported. Videos show cars with headlights on to cut through the dense smoke, as well as people driving on the wrong side of the highway to escape. A hospital, a care home, a mobile home park, and some other areas have been evacuated by an order from the Butte County Sheriff’s office.

On Thursday, the wildfire had grown to nearly eight square miles, according to the local outlet, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.

The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings over large areas of the northern half of the state, including Sacramento and Paradise. The website has this warning, active until 10amEST on Friday: Critical Fire Weather Conditions through Friday Morning for Portions of Interior Northern California.

There are also other red flag warnings in Southern California.