VIDEO/PHOTOS: Residents and firefighters scrambled to protect a historic California Gold Rush town from an aggressive wildfire as it burned homes after being sparked by lightning.
No injuries or deaths have been reported so far in the town of Chinese Camp, which was founded around 1850 by Chinese miners who were barred from a nearby camp. According to CalFire, at least five homes have been destroyed by the blaze.
The fire, which remains fully uncontained, had burned more than 10 square miles as of Tuesday night. The entire town of Chinese Camp, as well as numerous other surrounding areas, are under evacuation orders.
Outside one house on Tuesday evening, seven people quickly moved large tree branches away from the structure and shoveled sand onto the fire in a desperate attempt to keep the blaze from spreading from the house next door. They worked for about 30 minutes until firefighters arrived. An RV on the property was damaged by the fire.
Fire officials have requested additional resources such as fire engines, dozers and an aircraft. The blaze, known as the 6-5 Fire, was determined to be lightning-caused, according to CalFire.
The Weather Channel
