Worrying situation in California unfolding.

"At least 163 people trapped by a fast-spreading wildfire near Central California’s Mammoth Pool Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest had been rescued by the Air National Guard.

"Of those rescued from Mammoth Pool, Minarets, and nearby Cascadel Woods, 20 were hospitalized and some had critical burn injuries."

That's a daring rescue - flying a helicopter in smoky conditions like that takes serious skill and courage.

Unfortunately there are still another 1000 people trapped in the campground with the only road out "compromised". They are not under immediate threat supposedly but you'd want them out as soon as possible.

"California has seen 900 wildfires since Aug. 15, many of them started by an intense series of thousands of lightning strikes. The blazes have burned more than 1.5 million acres (2,343 square miles). There have been eight fire deaths and nearly 3,300 structures destroyed."