Washington:  At least nine people have died while more than 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in California, officials said.

Firefighters were powerless in stopping a wildfire destroying the northern town of Paradise, where 35 people are missing, a report in BBC stated.

A raging wildfire swept into the southern beach resort of Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars, on Friday.

Among the towns under evacuation orders is Thousand Oaks, where a gunman killed 12 people in a rampage on Wednesday.

Authorities say the Camp Fire in the north and the Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire in the south are being fanned by strong winds and dry forests.

“The magnitude of the destruction of the fire is unbelievable and heartbreaking,” said Mark Ghilarducci, of the California governor’s office.

US President Donald Trump has responded by blaming, what he called gross mismanagement of the forests and warned of funding cuts.

Meteorologists have warned that dangerous conditions may continue well into next week.