A wind-driven wildfire in the US state of California has destroyed approximately 100 homes and other structures, according to fire officials. At least two people were injured, and thousands were forced to flee their homes in the rural area.

The Mill Fire began shortly before 1 p.m. on Friday just north of Weed, a town of around 2,600 inhabitants located 402 kilometers north of San Francisco.

Residents were forced to evacuate for their lives when many homes burned in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood.

Two individuals were sent to the Mercy Medical Center, Mount Shasta. One was in stable condition, and the other was taken to the burn unit at UC Davis Medical Center.

Phil Anzo, chief of the Siskiyou Unit of Cal Fire, stated that crews fought day and night to preserve structures in Weed and the Carrick Addition neighborhood to the east.

"There’s a lot at stake on that Mill Fire," he stated. There are numerous villages and residences there.

Overnight, weather conditions improved, and firefighters achieved 20 percent containment, but the Mountain Fire, which broke out Friday northwest of Weed, expanded significantly.

Anzo estimated that the Mill Fire destroyed approximately 100 homes and other structures.

Thousands evacuated

The most recent fire began at or near Roseburg Forest Goods, a manufacturer of wood products. An immediate evacuation order was issued for 7,500 individuals.

According to power firm PacifiCorp, approximately 9,000 customers lost power at the onset of the incident, and many thousand remained without power late into the night due to the wildfire.

It was the third significant wildfire in as many days in California. It is currently experiencing a heat wave projected to push temperatures above 37.7 degrees until Labor Day in several regions.

The Mill Fire raged approximately one hour from the Oregon state boundary, about 48 kilometers southeast of where the state's deadliest fire of the year, the McKinney Fire, broke out in late July. It caused the deaths of four individuals and the destruction of scores of dwellings.

California is experiencing severe drought as it approaches the peak of the fire season.

According to scientists, the climate problem has caused the West to become warmer and drier over the past three decades, and it will continue to make the weather more intense and wildfires more catastrophic.

The last five years have seen the largest and most devastating flames in California's history. Since 2014, there have been three big fires in the cannabis industry.