Dramatic on-the-ground footage of the southern California wildfires showed people desperately attempting to rescue their horses from the blaze.
More than 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate the Los Angeles area after a series of fires broke out and remain active.
To the east, a fire began Tuesday evening in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena.
The so-called Eaton fire had burned 3.5 square miles by Wednesday morning, according to fire officials.
A report by local station Fox 11 Los Angeles from the Eaton Canyon area resembled a scene from an apocalyptic film, as two people escorted their horses down the street as the flames came close to engulfing them.
The video(see above) began with correspondent Gina Silva describing how a woman had been trying to rescue her horses from the blaze when she noted: “Oh my goodness, these embers flying everywhere.”
Moments later, a man and woman emerged from the smoke with their horses.
Asked how many more animals they have, the male rescuer — with his shirt over his mouth — replied: “We have a couple we let loose over there. We’re trying to get as many as we can out.”
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The female rescuer, wearing a mask, explained “there’s a bunch in there still.” Asked whether she had seen anything like this before, she replied: “Yeah, I’ve rescued before.”
Firefighters are battling wind-whipped wildfires that have destroyed homes, clogged roads and put a strain on local resources.
The flames spread rapidly after a fire broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of Los Angeles.