A state of emergency has been declared in San Diego County as strong winds and temperatures of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) fuelled nine wildfires.
"It's like a scene from Armageddon," one homeowner told the LA Times.
Firefighters tackle the Poinsettia fire in Carlsbad, CaliforniaReuters
Thousands fled their homes as flames consumed brush and trees left brittle by drought. Some homeowners had only minutes to gather their belongings and pets.
The brush fire tore through Carlsbad, destroying several properties and causing power failures. The San Onofre nuclear plant was evacuated as a precauction, and tourists had to be evacuated from Legoland amusement park.
Greg Saska watches as his mother's home goes up in flames in CarlsbadReutersA house is consumed by flames in San Marcos, CaliforniaGettyA DC-10 Super Tanker aircraft dumps flame retardant on a blaze in San Marcos, CaliforniaReutersA helicopter drops water on a wildfire in Fallbrook, CaliforniaReutersA rainbow is seen as a firefighting helicopter carries water to tackle a blaze on a hillside near San Marcos, CaliforniaReutersA police car is dwarfed by flames and rising smoke from a canyon in Carlsbad, CaliforniaReutersThe rising moon is turned orange by smoke from wildfires as an emergency vehicle travels along a burned-out hillside near San Marcos, CaliforniaReutersResidents look at the smouldering remains of their home in CarlsbadGettyThe ruins of a home smoulder in the night after it was destroyed in the Poinsettia fireGettyFirefighters spray water onto burning commercial structure in Carlsbad, CaliforniaGettyFirefighters tackle a blaze in a commercial area of CarlsbadGettyResidents watch firefighters battle the Poinsettia fire in Carlsbad, CaliforniaReutersAfter climbing a hill to view the Poinsettia fire, residents are evacuated by police as yet another wildfire moves up the hillsideReutersStudents from California State University, San Marcos, put out small fires with extinguishersReutersChildren and teachers from Aviara Oaks Elementary and Aviara Oaks Middle School in Carlsbad are evacuatedReutersFire rages above an apartment complex in San MarcosGettyA prison crew battles a fire in an avocado grove outside Fallbrook, CaliforniaReutersFirefighters spray water on a burning commercial structure in CarlsbadGettyA home on a hillside goes up in flames near San Marcos, CaliforniaReutersA plane drops fire retardant as firefighters battle a blaze in San MarcosReutersA man talks on a phone as a wildfire is seen approaching his neighbourhood in Carlsbad, CaliforniaReutersA firefighter puts out spot fires in a garden in CarlsbadReuters
