A massive wildfire burning out of control in the foothills of central California has left at least 150 homes in ruins and damaged another 75.
The so-called Erskine fire , which broke out on Thursday some 40 miles northeast of Bakersfield in Kern County, has already claimed at least two lives, left three firefighters in hospital and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
More than 1,100 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blaze, which has blackened some 35,700 acres and was 0% contained as of Saturday afternoon. California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for Kern County.
