>>> now to the situation in southern california . a very ominous violent start to wildfire season. there are three separate big fires now driven by the santa ana winds that blow east to west . they are now threatening hundreds of homes. evacuation ordered are in place. people are trying to stay out of the way. the winds have been hampering efforts to fight the fires. in most places only choppers were able to drop water on them for most of the day because fixed wing tankers, the big planes were unable to help in these conditions. nbc's mike taibbi is in camarillo, 40 miles north of l.a. mike, good evening.
>> reporter: hi, brian. how are you? they name fires out west the way they name hurricanes back east. this is the springs fire. it began as kids were getting on school buses and within hours it spread so far, so fast that only good luck and an army of firefighters, some 500 so far, could slow its march. drivers on the 101 freeway could see flames marching down the hillside driven over the dry tinder by the infamous santa ana winds . shifting 40 and 50 miles per hour wind gusts sent first responders to one fire line after another, to several streets in threatened neighborhoods. the message, get ready to leave or get out now. dave and cheryl novak with their dog josie said they would hold out until the last minute before abandoning their longtime home. across the street from the flames and just barely out of the line of fire.
>> we have lived in fire areas and seen lots of fires. this was the scariest.
>> reporter: at one point with the flames only 10 or 20 yards away from the homes we saw two homeowners fighting it with a hose.
>> got to put out the fire .
>> reporter: patrice lost the fight.
>> these trees go up, we're in trouble.
>> reporter: you're in trouble already. the flames are ten yards away.
>> give me back my hose. i can put it out again.
>> reporter: in the summit fire east of l.a., nbc spoke with joe keener who lost the battle to save his home.
>> i left here. no sooner than i backed out of the driveway and got back to sun set on the opposite side of my neighbor. i was engulfed in smoke. you know, i pulled this off one of the shelves in the living room . a couple pictures off the living room . it's gone. i can't cry over it. it's replaceable. lives aren't.
>> reporter: these fires are especially treacherous when the tree cover is extremely dry. humidity this week has hovered around 4%. when the santa ana winds pour out of the east at shifting speeds.
>> this is a dry santa ana , winds northeast to southwest. they are dry, warm and strong.
>> reporter: the result -- demonstrated over a furious few days in which hundreds of first responders battled for control of two wildfires was an unsettling hint of a fire season that could be as deadly as any in memory.
>> this is a wakeup call for everybody california toe prepared. this is a normal weather pattern and fire behavior we would see late in the fall, after a full summer of drying.
>> reporter: amazingly only a few injuries have been reported. among them two firefighters battling the summit blaze. here in camarillo, 6800 acres have been scorched, over a thousand people evacuated and a new high temperature record today, 97 degrees now. the snow melt is estimated to be some 70% less than last year. so a hot, dry, dangerous start to the fire season. brian?
>> this is not good news for the weeks and months ahead. mike taibbi , north of l.a. tonight. mike, thanks.
