From north to south, California was engulfed by five identified fires on Saturday. Strong winds, low humidity, drought and vegetation so dry as to act as matchsticks exacerbated the flames. Altogether, at least nine people have died and more than 250,000 people driven out of their homes.

"One firefighter went to his house, knocked down the flames and figured his house was going to make it," Scott McLean, a deputy chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told NPR. "He came back and it had burned to the ground."

In the North

The Camp Fire blaze erupted Thursday.

Of the nine confirmed fatalities, five were found inside cars that were overwhelmed by flames, three outside residences, and one inside a home, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office. Names of the victims have not been released.

Another 35 people were reported missing, McLean said.

He added that the fire took less than two hours to reach the small town of Paradise, which it proceeded to devour.

Some people, attempting to flee the fire, were stuck in traffic and left their cars behind to run with their families.

According to Cal Fire, the fire has grown into 100,000 acres and was 20 percent contained by Saturday morning. It was still burning in Paradise, and authorities estimated the fire may be fully contained by Nov. 30.

Nearly 6,500 residences have been destroyed and another 15,000 threatened, according to emergency officials. Authorities expect that strong northeastern winds will start up again in the evening, potentially spreading across one of California's biggest lakes into the city of Oroville.

Red flag warnings will return in the evening, McLean said, marking strong winds and dropping humidity.

More than 3,200 personnel are involved in the firefighting effort.

In the South

The bodies of two people have been discovered in Malibu but it is unclear whether their deaths were caused by fire.

"Right now we have not been able to investigate the situation because the area hasn't been rendered safe yet," L.A. County Sheriff's Department Deputy Grace Medrano told NPR.

The Woolsey Fire, a brush fire that started Thursday some 500 miles south, grew more than twice its size from Friday to Saturday, spanning 70,000 acres. It crossed U.S. Highway 101 just a few miles east of Thousand Oaks, where 12 people died in a bar shooting Wednesday night.

Crews were battling extreme flames on steep terrain. By the evening, the fire was stillzero percent contained.

It sent thousands fleeing after mandatory evacuations in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Officials said they had not been able to tally the number of homes that were destroyed, the Los Angeles Times reported, but sheriff's officials in Ventura County put the number at 50 or more.

Another fire, called Hill Fire, measured a little more than 4,500 acres on Saturday. "It seems to be stopped and burned into an area where firefighters can get a handle on it," McLean said. It traveled into an old burn scar, where a previous fire had passed years ago. As it thinned, firefighters were able to get closer and control it — at least temporarily.

Evacuees

Lady Gaga, Alyssa Milano and Kim Kardashian West were among the California residents who had to flee their homes.

"I am thinking so deeply for everyone who is suffering today from these abominable fires & grieving the loss of their homes or loved ones," Lady Gaga said. "I'm sitting here with many of you wondering if my home will burst into flames. All we can do is pray together & for each other. God Bless You."

"I'm waiting to hear the fate of my home. They won't let us in the area," Milano wrote Saturday morning local time, before adding, "There are no words for this kind of devastation."

"I heard the flames have hit our property at our home in Hidden Hills but now are more contained and have stopped at the moment. It doesn't seems like it is getting worse right now, I just pray the winds are in our favor," Kardashian West said.

Cher wrote on Twitter that she was worried about her house "but there is nothing I can do." She said she has had a house in Malibu since 1972 and "can't bear the thought of there being no Malibu."

Authorities, fearful of looting, have ordered some 200 deputies to protect burned neighborhoods, according to the Associated Press.

The Los Angeles Zoo announced that some of its animals, including lemurs and birds, had been relocated but that a brush fire in nearby Griffith Park did not enter its grounds. "The animals that were relocated have been safely moved back to their habitats and are doing well," the zoo said. "We are thinking of those who are battling the wildfires still threatening Los Angeles and Ventura counties."

"A big thank you to firefighters from across the country who are helping California's firefighters battle these blazes," Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted Saturday. "We appreciate your work and could not be more grateful."

President Trump also took to Twitter to write: "There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"

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