"A mere 10 minutes later, the wildfire driven by fierce winds raced through their neighborhood, missing them by three houses and torching a roof across the street."
Given the right conditions, a wildfire can switch gears and head right towards your community within minutes. That's why it's best to be READY far in advance of wildfire season by creating defensible space around your home, fire-proofing your home, and creating/rehearsing an evacuation plan.
From the Source:
"Fire crews aided by calmer winds and aircraft knocked down a wildfire Tuesday that damaged or destroyed 100 homes and a church and forced more than 1,000 people to flee a small town near the Oregon border.
As crews put out remaining embers, the people of Weed wandered through scorched neighborhoods covered in pink fire retardant had been dropped by firefighting airplanes.
Some homes were burned to the ground, with only chimneys left standing. Broken water pipes spurted over the blackened landscape. The remnants of the Holy Family Catholic Church were still smoking, marked by twisted metal girders lying on the ground.
The fast-moving blaze, which began Monday, was among nearly a dozen wildfires burning in California that have been exacerbated by the state's third straight year of drought. The tinder-dry conditions have sent firefighters scrambling from blaze to blaze, almost nonstop."
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Above: "A jet aerial tanker drops its load of fire retardant on a fire near Pollack Pines, Calif., Monday, Sept. 15, 2014. The fire, which started Sunday has consumed more than 3,000 acres and forced the evacuation of dozens of homes." Credit - Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo