Pictures: Thousands flee homes near Los Angeles as wildfires rage

People watch from a hillside during the Silverado Fire in Lake Forest, California. California is grappling with yet another weather-driven disaster as two wildfires propelled by hurricane-force gusts rages south of Los Angeles, with dangerous conditions expected to persist across the precariously-dry state.

A fire truck is seen near the Blue Ridge Fire burning in Yorba Linda, California. More than 90,000 people fled their homes near Los Angeles on Monday as two fast-spreading and uncontained wildfires raged across more than 14,600 acres, blocking key roadways and critically injuring two firefighters.

The larger Silverado Fire erupted early in the morning in the foothills of Irvine, about 60 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles, and quickly spread, fueled by dry conditions and erratic winds that prevented firefighting aircraft from flying.

Photographers are silhouetted as they film the Blue Ridge Fire burning in Yorba Linda. "Firefighters continue to battle flames throughout the night on the Silverado Fire. More than 8,000 acres have burned but we have no reports of structures lost at this time," Orange County Fire Authority said in a Facebook update Monday night.

Firefighters watch the Blue Ridge Fire burning in Yorba Linda. The second fast-growing blaze in Yorba Linda, about 17 miles north of Irvine and dubbed the Blue Ridge Fire, erupted early afternoon Monday and had already scorched more than 6,600 acres, also forcing evacuations.

"It's nuts - even inside the car, my eyes, my nose and my throat stung," said Frederic Tournadre, a French man whose company in Irvine sent all its employees home.

The Silverado inferno quadrupled in size by afternoon, jumping a highway and covering the area with a huge plume of smoke and ash.

A helicopter drops retardant on the Silverado wildfire off Santiago Canyon Road. "We have emergency evacuation orders here in the city of Irvine that are impacting approximately 90,800 residents," Shane Sherwood, a division chief at Orange County Fire Authority, told reporters.

The National Weather Service warned that the combination of low humidity, dry vegetation and strong winds had created "the most dangerous fire weather conditions" this year. It said the region will remain under a red flag warning - signifying a high risk of wildfire - through Tuesday evening.

An Erickson Aero Tanker drops flame retardant on the Silverado Fire near Irvine. "New fire ignitions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties will likely have very rapid fire growth, extreme fire behavior, and long range spotting, resulting in a significant threat to life and property," the Weather Service said.

Officials said the two injured firefighters sustained second- and third-degree burns and both had to be intubated at an area hospital.

"I got an opportunity to talk to members of their families and spend time with both firefighters in the emergency room while they were being treated, but they were not in a position where they could speak with me," Orange County Fire Authority chief Brian Fennesy told reporters.

He added that winds of 20 to 40 miles per hour (mph), with gusts up to 60 mph, had made it extremely difficult for the 500 firefighters trying to control the flames.

People gather and take photos as the Silverado Fire burns in Orange County in Lake Forest, California.

The Silverado Fire burns beyond cactus plants in Lake Forest, California.

A firefighter keeps a lookout for spot fires on a hillside during the Silverado Fire in Lake Forest, California.

People watch from a hillside during the Silverado Fire in Lake Forest, California. The Silverado and Blue Ridge fires were burning as California and much of the US west are under major fire risk because of dry conditions and strong seasonal winds.

Smoke rises from the Silverado Fire near Irvine, California. More than four million acres have been devoured this season by flames in California alone, where 31 people have died in some of the largest fires in the state's history.