Spurred on by strong winds, dry air and drought-starved brush, the Camp Fire exploded into view at around 6:30 am Thursday morning and remained completely uncontained as of Friday afternoon. California's acting Gov. Gavin Newsom (who filled in for outgoing governor Jerry Brown on Thursday while Brown was out of state) declared a state of emergency. Authorities believe that more than 1,000 homes have already been destroyed.

Some of the videos and photos taken from inside Paradise have been nothing short of surreal, as residents had only hours - sometimes minutes - to flee following a mandatory evacuation order issued as the flames climbed over the Sierra foothills.