Wildfire leaves California town in ashes: ‘We lost Greenville’

A wildfire devastated a town in California on Wednesday as firefighters struggle to contain the flames.

“We lost Greenville tonight,” Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) said in a Facebook video Wednesday.

“There’s just no words,” LaMalfa said in the emotional video describing the impact the fire left on towns in California.

The wildfire destroyed many buildings in the town, some more than a century old, The Associated Press reported.

“We did everything we could,” said fire spokesman Mitch Matlow. “Sometimes it’s just not enough.”

There have been around 5,000 firefighters fighting against Northern California wildfire, which has put 26,500 people under evacuation orders.

It has burned 278,000 acres over the course of three weeks and counting. Firefighters have only managed to contain 35 percent of the fire. 

“If you are still in the Greenville area, you are in imminent danger and you MUST leave now!! Evacuate to the south to Quincy. If you remain, emergency responders may not be able to assist you,” the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook Wednesday.

A fire official with the U.S. Forest Service-Plumas National Forest warned California residents in a Facebook video that the behavior of the wildfire is not what the state is used to and not enough people have been listening to the warnings. 

“You need to get out. We can’t be dealing with this. … We want to keep you guys safe and try to protect your structures in there and do the best we can,” the official stated.

A separate wildfire nearby has caused thousands to evacuate their homes and evacuation centers had to be put in place.