Calif. fire 'just out of control'

A firefighter is shrouded in smoke as he battles the King Fire near Fresh Pond, California, on Wednesday, September 17. California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in two counties where wildfires have torched tens of thousands of acres, destroying some homes and threatening others.

A firefighter walks through smoke in Fresh Pond on September 17. The causes of the King and Boles wildfires are still under investigation.

A firefighting helicopter collects water from a reservoir in Pollock Pines, California, on September 17.

Firefighters monitor a backfire as they battle the King Fire in Fresh Pond on September 17.

A firefighter monitors a backfire in Fresh Pond on September 17.

A grove of trees sits burned in Weed, California, on Tuesday, September 16. The Boles Fire tore into Weed, razing libraries, fitness centers and entire neighborhood blocks, according to CNN affiliate KDRV.

Shelley Besk, right, embraces her mother, Kathy, as they stand in the ruins of their Weed home on September 16.

Firefighters inspect the interior of the Roseburg lumber mill in Weed on September 16.

The shell of a library in Weed smolders on September 16.

A resident of Weed carries belongings as he walks by burned-out homes on September 16.

Firefighters hose down a hot spot September 16 in the rubble of a Weed home.

Destroyed vehicles and homes smolder in Weed on Monday, September 15.

A fire approaches the shore of California's Bass Lake on Sunday, September 14.

An airplane drops fire retardant over a fire at Bass Lake on September 14.

Plumes of smoke rise over a ridge at the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon on September 14.

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• Gov. Brown declares a state of emergency in El Dorado and Siskiyou counties


• The King Fire has burned nearly 28,000 acres in El Dorado National Forest


• It's threatening more than 2,000 homes, according to Cal Fire


• The Boles Fire has destroyed at least 150 structures in the town of Weed

(CNN) -- California's Governor has declared a state of emergency in two counties in the north of the state where wildfires have torched tens of thousands of acres, destroying some homes and threatening others.

Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to try to tame the blazes in the counties of El Dorado and Siskiyou.

Wildfire torches California town

The King Fire is raging in the El Dorado National Forest east of Sacramento. It has so far burned nearly 28,000 acres and is only 5% contained, Cal Fire said late Wednesday.

The Boles Fire burned through Weed, California

Weed, California, smolders in the aftermath of the Boles Fire

"This thing is just out of control at this point," said CNN International Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.

The fire is threatening more than 2,000 homes, Cal Fire said, with mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders in place across large areas of El Dorado County.

Farther north in Siskiyou County, near the border with Oregon, a smaller fire has already caused severe damage to property.

The Boles Fire tore into the town of Weed this week, razing libraries, fitness centers and entire neighborhood blocks, according to CNN affiliate KDRV.

The blaze has destroyed at least 150 structures, according to Cal Fire, and crews are still assessing the scale of the damage.

Images from the scene showed charred vehicles and patches of rubble where houses once stood.

'Devastating loss'

The fire, which covers 375 acres, is now 60% contained, but evacuation orders remain in effect for some areas, Cal Fire said late Wednesday.

Authorities say they want to allow people to return to their properties as soon as they can, but only when it's safe to do so.

"At some point we're going to have to remove this debris," local fire official Koby Johns told KDRV. "And before that, we need to, one, make sure there's nobody here. And two, make sure there's nothing that's going to fall and injure a firefighter."

Announcing a state of emergency in El Dorado and Siskiyou, California Gov. Jerry Brown said, "The wildfires in Northern California serve as a reminder that dry conditions can be the precursor to devastating loss."

Authorities have said California's ongoing historic drought has helped fuel fires that have plagued areas across the state.

The causes of the King and Boles fires are still under investigation.