Wildfires are raging across parts of the Western United States on Wednesday, with gusty winds that are expected to drive even more flames throughout the region.
On Tuesday, 14 firefighters were forced to deploy emergency shelters as flames overtook them and destroyed the Nacimiento Station, a fire station in the Los Padres National Forest on the state’s central coast, the U.S. Forest Service said. They suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, and three were flown to a hospital in Fresno, where one was in critical condition.
In the past two days, helicopters have been used to rescue hundreds of people stranded in the burning Sierra National Forest, where the Creek Fire has destroyed 365 buildings, including at least 45 homes, and 5,000 structures were threatened, fire officials said.
The Bear Fire, which is part of the North Complex Fire, flared up Tuesday in response to strong northern winds, the U.S. Forest Service Plumas National Forest division said.
Here are 10 of the most powerful images from the wildfires:
Flames lick above vehicles on Highway 162 as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger)
Embers fly across a roadway as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger)
Seen from the Forbestown community in Butte County, Calif., a plume rises from the Bear Fire as it approaches Oroville on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger)
Firefighters monitor the Bear Fire burning in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger)
Firefighters watch the Bear Fire approach in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger)
The Creek Fire burns on a ridge top along Highway 168 Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, near Alder Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Tim Lesmeister of the Clovis Fire Department puts out hotspots left behind by the Creek Fire Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Tollhouse, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
A scorched truck rests on Highway 168 after the Creek Fire burned through the area on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Fresno County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger)
A melted slide stands in the playground at the Pine Ridge School in Fresno County, Calif., after the Creek Fire burned through the area on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger)
Firefighter Nick Grinstead battles the Creek Fire in the Shaver Lake community of Fresno County, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
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