Dramatic videos showed drivers crossing the Carquinez Bridge in Northern California on Sunday, before authorities shut it down as fires burned on both sides.
Authorities had diverted traffic in both directions of Interstate 80 south of Vallejo by Sunday afternoon, and the fires forced evacuations in the small community of Crockett for several hours on the south side of the bridge as well as the California State University Maritime Academy to the north.
Flames were first reported in Vallejo Sunday morning, and about two hours later, a fire began across the water of the Carquinez Strait. It wasn't immediately clear if embers from the first fire sparked the second, but the area was experiencing extreme gusts of wind as well as dry conditions.
As winds whipped up the fires, some drivers were crossing the roughly 3,000-foot bridge. One woman tweeted a video showing smoke surrounding the bridge.
"I can't believe they're letting us drive through this," she says in the video.
Crossing the Carquinez Bridge between Crockett and Vallejo. Scary. #CarquinezBridge #kpix #KCBSTraffic #cnn #kron
Another video shows cars passing by billowing flames.
Live footage from ABC News 7 showed an aerial view of fire on both sides of the strait.
This looks apocalyptic--dramatic situation unfolding near a lot of structures in #Vallejo right now. Follow @abc7newsbayarea for latest on this breaking situation-- they are live on the air right now: https://t.co/W5qLdiLKds
John Upton, the editor of research organization Climate Central, tweeted videos he recorded while passing the bridge by on the train.
"The warm, dry, windy conditions around the Bay Area today are baleful," Upton tweeted. "Fires are destroying homes and wineries and triggering evacuations amid mass blackouts."
The #GlencoveFire in Vallejo, seen from Amtrak’s San Joaquins Train. The warm, dry, windy conditions around the Bay Area today are baleful. Fires are destroying homes and wineries and triggering evacuations amid mass blackouts.
Local TV station KTVU posted a video that shows the fires creeping up to the waterfront.
Video from #SkyFox over the fire burning near the #CarquinezBridge. Some residents in #Crockett are under evacuation orders. https://t.co/wKO2msPe9S
People were also posting dramatic videos from the other bank, showing smoke blocking out the sky after the bridge was closed.
#bayareafire
In one video, a man is filming the smoke and embers as he waits to turn around and be rerouted.
"A friend said last night, about the sunset, 'It looks apocalyptic.' It kind of is. This may be the new normal," the man says in the video.
The fires didn't immediately appear to cause major damage.
Meanwhile, the Kincade fire in Sonoma County had grown to 30,000 acres on Sunday, destroying dozens of homes and prompting the evacuation of about 180,000 people.
"This is the largest evacuation that any of us at the Sheriff’s Office can remember," the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office tweeted. "Take care of each other."
An estimated 3 million people were also without power as Pacific Gas & Electric shut down electricity over concerns that high winds could down power lines and spark fires.
In response to the fires and extreme weather conditions, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sunday. Dangerous fire conditions were expected to continue through Monday morning.