Gusty winds pose continued wildfire threats in California

In the past two days, helicopters were used to rescue hundreds of stranded people

San Miguel County Firefighters battle a brush fire along Japatul Road during the Valley Fire in Jamul, California. AFP

Firefighter Ricardo Gomez, of a San Benito Monterey Cal Fire crew, sets a controlled burn with a drip torch while fighting the Creek Fire, in Shaver Lake, California. AP Photo

Fire engineer, Paul Kahler, of Fountain Valley, Cailfornia, examines a melted light post where a structure was destroyed by the El Dorado wildfire near Yucaipa. AP

A firetruck drives along state Highway 168 while battling the Creek Fire in the Shaver Lake community of Fresno County, California. AP

Annette Smart checks on her animals while evacuating during the Creek fire in the North Fork area of unincorporated Madera County, California. Smart evacuated with her twelve dogs, a turtle, three cats, two birds, a bunny and two guinea pigs. AFP

San Miguel County Firefighters battle a brush fire along Japatul Road during the Valley Fire in Jamul, California. AFP

Dozens of evacuees flown to safety by a Cal Guard CH-47 Chinook after being trapped by the Creek Fire near Mammoth Pool Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest, California, USA. EPA

Firefighters run along state Highway 168 while fighting the Creek Fire, in Shaver Lake, California. AP Photo

Little League players warm-up before a game as a brush fire is ablaze in back at a field next to the Sycuan Casino on the Sycuan Indian reservation during the Valley Fire, near Dehesa, in San Diego, California. AFP

A firefighter works on hotspot at a wildfire in Yucaipa, California. AP Photo

Large crane helicopters drop water on a wildfire that came dangerously close to a home near Japatul Road in Alpine, California. AP

Deputy Sheriff Janessa Gonzalez plays with Danielle Bellieveau's dogs Keahi and Shtiya at an evacuation center at MacQueen Middle School as the Valley Fire burns nearby in Alpine, California. AP

A wildfire comes dangerously close to a home near Japatul Road, in Alpine, California. AP

A burned structure is seen at a wildfire in Yucaipa, California. AP Photo

An air tanker drops retardant at a wildfire burns at a hillside in Yucaipa, California. AP Photo

A member of a hand crew works on the fire line in Yucaipa, California. AP Photo

Members of a hand crew work on the fire line in Yucaipa, California. AP Photo

The thermometer registers 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.4C) in Woodland Hills, California. AFP

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is seen through hazy and smoky conditions in San Francisco, California. AFP

Wildfires raged unchecked throughout California on Wednesday, and gusty winds could drive flames into new ferocity, authorities warned.

Diablo winds in the north and Santa Ana winds in the south were forecast into Wednesday at a time when existing wildfires already have grown explosively.

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 US 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.

Flames threatened the foothill community of Auberry between Shaver Lake and Fresno.In the past two days, helicopters were 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.

In Southern California, fires burned in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and the forecast called for the arrival of the region's notorious Santa Anas. The hot, dry winds could reach 50 mph at times, forecasters said.

People in a half-dozen foothill communities east of Los Angeles were being told to stay alert because of a fire in the Angeles National Forest.

"The combination of gusty winds, very dry air, and dry vegetation will create critical fire danger," the National Weather Service warned.

The US Forest Service on Monday decided to close all eight national forests in the southern half of the state and shutter campgrounds statewide.

More than 14,000 firefighters are battling fires. Two of the three largest blazes in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area, though they are largely contained after three weeks.

California has already set a record with nearly 2.3 million acres (930,800 hectares) burned this year – surpassing a record set only two years ago – and the worst part of the wildfire season is just beginning.

"It's extraordinary, the challenge that we've faced so far this season," Gov Gavin Newsom said.