“Like a war zone”: fire survivors relive night of fear in the US

When gas cylinders in his neighbors’ homes began to explode under the heat of the flames, Kevin Williams knew it was time to run.

“The wind was blowing hard, the flames were about 30 to 40 feet high, and you heard ‘pop, pop, pop’. It sounded like a war zone,” Williams told Reuters at an evacuation center in Pasadena.

At least two people died when several fast-growing wildfires raged out of control on Wednesday near Los Angeles, destroying hundreds of buildings, burning hillsides and driving about 70,000 people from their homes.