A state of emergency has been declared with a rampaging brush fire now covering 200 acres and destroying at least 20 luxury homes in the exclusive area of Laguna Niguel in California.
Mandatory evacuation orders are now in place with the fast moving blaze having started near a water treatment facility between Laguna Niguel and Laguna Beach, shortly before 3pm on Wednesday.
By 8pm the fire had swept across 200 acres and destroyed in its path at least 20 houses, many worth millions of pounds in an exclusive zone, due to high winds.