Truckers abandoned their vehicles and motorists screamed in fear as they came dangerously close to an explosive wildfire in California.
The blaze shut down about 45 miles of a major interstate near the Oregon border that authorities were desperately trying to reopen.
In one video, a passenger in a vehicle screams: "Oh my God, I want to go!" as nearby trees burst into flames.
"I can't breathe," the woman says, sobbing. "Please, guys, come put it out."
The fire erupted on Wednesday afternoon in a rural area and devoured timber and brush on both sides of Interstate 5 as it nearly tripled in size overnight, officials said.
Elsewhere in the state, a fire raging in the Sierra Nevada shut down stretches of US 395, State Route 108 and the Pacific Crest Trail along the eastern spine of California.
The US Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Centre, campgrounds and other areas were evacuated.
Ranchers were told to prepare to move livestock out of the area in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
The two fires on Thursday were raging just weeks after a blaze in the Redding area killed eight people and burned some 1,100 homes in a frightening start to the fire season.
The two fires destroyed or damaged a combined 8,800 homes and 329 businesses.
"The worst may be yet to come," Commissioner David Jones warned at a San Francisco news conference, noting California wildfires are typically more destructive after September 1.
Thursday's blaze along I-5 has blackened 23 square miles, prompting mandatory evacuations.
About 17 trucks were abandoned along the interstate and at least four caught fire, Lieutenant Commander Kyle Foster of the California Highway Patrol's Mount Shasta office told the Los Angeles Times.
At least two trucks were partially melted.
US Forest Service workers helped the driver of one flaming truck to safety while truckers, firefighters and others aided more drivers.
