A devastating wildfire is tearing through the hills above the Californian city of Santa Barbara, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.
An emergency was declared on Monday, at 10.30pm local time, hours after the blaze broke out in Los Padres National Forest.
The flames spread quickly to cover more than 3,300 acres, and have not yet been contained, Santa Barbara County said in a statement.
"An evacuation warning is being issued for the area north of Foothill Road and Ontare to Gibraltar Road," the office said, referring to areas north of the city.
Around 6,300 people had been evacuated as of 1.30am local time, fire Officer Mike Eliason confirmed to local media.
Santa Barbara Wildfires - In pictures
It is understood 2,400 structures are currently under threat from the fire, including multi-million dollar homes and ranches.
One Twitter user posted terrifying footage as they drove through the inferno, writing: "Please stay safe for anyone living close to [highway]154 and to the firefighters up there right now.
"Just made it down safely and my eyes still can't believe what's happening."
Around 1,500 people in Santa Barbara County had suffered power outages, according to the Southern California Edison website.
The energy provider has said it does not yet know when power will be fully restored. The exact cause of the outages is not yet known.
The blaze, dubbed the "cave fire" after it reportedly swept down a canyon, is now advancing towards major population areas in the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta.
Emergency services teams from Los Angeles and other neighbouring areas have been called in to help local fire departments tackle the flames, as they continue to burn through dry, brushy canyons and ridges.
Forecasters have warned that wind gusts of up to 70mph could hit the region over the coming hours, further fuelling the flames.
It is understood no homes have yet been damaged.
