Some 2-million people in northern California could be without electricity this weekend, as officials cut electricity to help limit new wildfires. Blazes have already forced tens-of-thousands from their homes and forced the cancellation of classes for hundreds of thousands of students. The state’s governor has now declared a state of emergency in two counties.

CGTN’S Ediz Tiyansan reports.

For several weeks, California has been fighting erratic wildfires on several fronts. The Tick Fire, which broke out on Thursday, took a destructive course overnight, burning through residential communities and forcing thousands of families to evacuate in the middle of the night.

“We got a knock on the door at 3 am from the sheriffs, telling us we have to leave and leave now,” said evacuee Lisa Gott.

Many families panicked for their safety and the power outages only made it worse.

“The biggest struggle is no power,” said David Gott. “When they shut the power down, we don’t have any cell service, can’t watch the TV to know what’s going on, what evacuations are in place, where it’s burning. We have just no idea!”

As of Friday morning, the fire had ripped through nearly 1,800 hectares with only 5% containment and gusty winds are showing no signs of abating.

“Approximately 20 mph winds with gusts up to 30 or 40 mph, so we’re going to work on containment,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby.

The infamous Santa Ana winds are extremely dangerous for this situation because they can carry the embers from an ongoing fire to a completely random location and start an entirely new fire. This is why it’s so important for the firefighters to respond to situations like this one, before it spreads to the rest of the neighborhood.

But officials are warning, Californians will continue to feel the strong gusts of winds throughout this weekend. Many residents have gone to the nearest shopping centers to stock up for the weekend, as more power outages have been announced.

“We’re going to be on standby mode all weekend due to the winds and the fires,” said local resident Jennifer Cerritos. “They’re still burning. It’s only 5 percent contained, so let’s just hope for the best.”

Evacuation centers are set up for those living in impacted areas, but many haven’t made up their minds.

“We may still be here tomorrow,” said local resident Joyce Kantor. “We don’t know.”

The driest month of the year, a month of wildfires and power outages, continues to be a season of uncertainty for millions of Californians.