Smoke hangs over the Golden Gate Bridge as wildfires rage in California, Oregon and Washington 

Stunning new images show smoke hanging over the San Francisco skyline as dozens of wildfires raging in California, Oregon and Washington send a blanket of ash over the Pacific Ocean after torching 2.8 million acres

Across California, more than 14,000 firefighters are battling 25 separate blazes which have collectively burned nearly 2.2 million acres and left 172,000 people without power during a record heat wave in the drought-stricken state. 

The Creek Fire in Northern California has razed 65 homes, businesses and other structures since it erupted on Friday night and exploded in size over the weekend, ripping through more than 163,000 acres by Wednesday morning.  

The fire – which remains zero percent contained – forced thousands of people in Fresno County to flee from their homes and trapped hundreds of hikers and campers in the Sierra National Forest.  

An apocalyptic orange glow has been cast over Yosemite as the Creek Fire edges closer, leaving a path of charred homes and vehicles in its path.   

To the north in Oregon, a frightening red blanketed towns and more than 80,000 people were forced to evacuate on Tuesday as 35 separate fires blazed out of control, covering more than 367,000 acres.  

Several residents shared photos of red-stained skies on social media, with one in Stayton remarking: ‘Oregon looks like Mars.’ 

In Washington state, 12 large fires have ripped across more than 330,000 acres. Devastating photos captured the charred remains of the tiny town of Malden, home to 300 people, after it was 80 percent destroyed by a fire over Labor Day weekend.  

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California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday night declared a state of emergency as his hard-hit state struggled to beat back the blazes.

The Labor Day weekend heat wave fueled new fires that pushed the state to set a new record for number of acres burned with 2,178,015 as of Tuesday night.  

The previous record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest fire in state history, the Camp Fire, which ripped through the town of Paradise and killed 85 people in November 2018.  

Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said the new record was especially alarming because of how early in the year it was set. 

‘It’s a little unnerving because September and October are historically our worst months for fires,’ Tolmachoff told AP. ‘It’s usually hot, and the fuels really dry out. And we see more of our wind events.’ 

Compared to last year, California has seen over 2,650 more fires and a nearly 2000 percent increase in the acres burned year-to-date (January 1 – September 7), across all jurisdictions, Cal Fire said. 

The state has seen 900 wildfires since August 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes in mid-August. There have been eight fire deaths and nearly 4,000 structures destroyed. 

Randy Moore, regional forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region, warned that the blazes are expected to worsen in the coming days.  

‘The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously,’ Moore told AP. ‘Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire.’   

On Tuesday night, Cal Fire said that the Creek Fire had worsened in the previous 24 hours owing to strong winds.

‘The fire continued to grow under extreme conditions,’ the agency said in an update. ‘The Red Flag Warning for strong winds will impact the fire in the early morning, with stronger winds to come. The fire made wind driven runs and increased spotting distance. 

‘Red Flag Warning in effect until 11 pm Tuesday for high temperatures, low humidity and high winds.’

The California National Guard (CNG) was called in over the weekend to rescue more than 400 hikers and campers who found themselves trapped in the mountains after roads were closed to the Creek Fire. 

More than 200 people were airlifted from Mammoth Lake over Saturday and Sunday – and another 148 were rescued from near Lake Edison and Chinese Peak early Tuesday morning, the CNG said.  

Officials said at least 65 more hikers could still be trapped in the Sierra National Forest as rescue efforts continue.    

One hiker had been confirmed dead from an apparent heart attack, and officials warned there may be multiple more casualties.   

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.

Firefighters have made headway with one blaze in the area – the El Dorado Fire – which was sparked on Saturday by a gender reveal photoshoot, when a pyrotechnical smoke device sent sparks into the bone-dry brush.

The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 11,259 acres as of Tuesday night and is 19 percent contained. 

Officials said the family behind the gender reveal debacle could face civil or criminal charges for the fire. 

The threat of winds tearing down power lines or hurling debris into them and sparking a wildfire prompted Pacific Gas & Electric, the state’s largest utility, to shut off power to 172,000 customers over the weekend. 

More outages were expected Wednesday, with power not expected to be completely restored until Wednesday night. 

In Washington state, the town of Malden was almost entirely destroyed.

Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said that 70-80 percent of homes in the town of 300 people have gone up in flames.

Local news network KREM showed pictured of the charred Malden post office, a fire still burning inside the gutted building.  

The fire station, city hall and other buildings were also consumed, Myers said.

‘The scale of this disaster really can’t be expressed in words,’ he said. ‘The fire will be extinguished, but a community has been changed for a lifetime. I just hope we don’t find the fire took more than homes and buildings. I pray everyone got out in time.’

Larry Frick, who lives in Malden, told KXLY that he spent three hours to save his house amid the flames.

‘It’s gone, brother,’ he texted his sibling after the fire swept through. ‘The entire town is gone. Everything from here to Pine City is gone. The scariest time of my life.’ 

KREM said that at least nine wildfires were burning throughout the Inland Northwest on Monday, amid dry and windy conditions.

Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz tweeted on Monday evening that, ‘Today alone, almost 300,000 acres in Washington have burned.’

‘Thousands of homes are without power. Many families have had to evacuate their homes and many homes have been lost,’ Franz wrote. ‘We’re still seeing new fire starts in every corner of the state.’

Governor Jay Inslee noted that more acres burned on Monday than in 12 of the last fire seasons in the state.  

‘We think all of these are human-caused in some dimension,’ Inslee said.

Oregon was also struggling to contain its own wildfires, which have devastated more than 230,000 acres, according to Governor Kate Brown.

On Tuesday evening she said her state was ‘in an unprecedented fire event.’ 

She added: ‘Several significant, growing fires across the state continue to spread due to hot, dry weather & high winds. 

‘Oregonians’ lives are at risk. Follow evacuation orders, try to reduce your smoke exposure – and take care of each other.’ 

On Monday evening, the Oregon Climate Office tweeted: ‘Northwest Oregon is currently under an extremely critical fire weather warning. 

‘This is only the second time ever that the Storm Prediction Center has ever issued one for anywhere within the state of Oregon. The other time was August 29, 2006.’ 

There are currently 35 active fires across the state – including the Beachie Creek Fire, which ripped through campgrounds at Detroit Lake State Park overnight on Tuesday.   

Allison Hargett, her husband Tyler and their six-year-old daughter Lilly had driven up to the lake on Labor Day to go boating when they were suddenly awoken by an evacuation order at about 1am Tuesday as the Beachie Creek Fire encroached on their campsite.  

The Hargett family quickly hitched up their boat and packed up their car to drive to safety, following behind their friends, Tim and Adamma Dye.  

As they made the trek out of the evacuation zone, Allison filmed several videos from the car which showed the forest enveloped by an eerie orange glow as flames consumed dozens of trees and embers cascaded from the sky.  

The family made it about 20 miles before their car ran out of gas outside Mill City, trapping them in the Marion County evacuation zone. Thankfully, they weren’t alone on the road. 

‘[Our friends] were in front of us and saw that we pulled over and turned around, tossed their stuff in the back seat and told us to get in and let’s go,’ Allison told CNN on Tuesday.   

Despite being forced to leave behind their boat, car and much of their gear to fit into their friends’ vehicle, Allison said her family was grateful to have made it to safety.  

‘We completely ran out of gas and would’ve been stranded. They saved us,’ she said.  

The Beachie Creek Fire ignited on August 16 and has since torched more than 130,000 acres, according to local officials. It remains zero percent contained and is traveling at a rate of three acres per hour. 

High winds, dry conditions and a heatwave in the drought-stricken region helped fuel the fire over the weekend, prompting evacuations for several cities in Marion County, which includes Detroit Lake State Park.   

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office released video of multiple structures on fire in Mill City on Wednesday night, hours after the Hargett family and their friends left the area. 

Neighboring Clackamas County declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as four active fires – including Beachie Creek – put several communities under threat. 

Meanwhile, firefighters in Colorado were aided by the sudden, surprising arrival of snow. 

Temperatures reached 101 degrees over the Labor Day weekend, and the Cameron Peak wildfire, which had burnt near Fort Collins, was casting an orange haze over the capital, Denver.

However, overnight temperatures plummeted 60 degrees, and residents awoke to find snow on their cars. 

On Monday night the Cameron Peak Fire, which began on August 13 and has so far burned 96,462 acres, was expected to burn until Halloween.

The state had 829 people battling to contain the fire, and evacuations had been ordered.