'WE'RE GOING TO F****** DIE!'
Horrifying footage shows two pals showered with burning embers in California wildfires
Mike Vien and his housemate didn’t realise they were in danger until they saw flames closing in on them at their home in Loma Rica
TWO pals battling to escape the deadly Cascade wildfire raging at their home in California has been caught on camera.
Mike Vien and his housemate didn’t realise they were in danger until they saw flames closing in on them at their home in Loma Rica early Sunday morning.
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Horrifying footage shows the dramatic minutes the pair made it out alive as they were swarmed by embers coming from all directions.
With an orange glow surrounding them and the fire closing, the pair grabbed their dogs, got into their car and drove off.
At one point, Mike screams to his roommate that they will die if they don’t get out of the area fast.
He can be heard saying: "We're going to f*****g die dude, we gotta get out of here."
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In the video, you can hear Mike's friend - who was driving the car- saying he couldn’t see the road because of the smoke-fulled sky.
Both of the men said their eyes were burning as they drove looking to power lines to lead the way.
As they pull up to a gate that is blocking their escape, Mike then gets out of the car to try and open it.
After he struggles to get back in the car, the pair decide to smash through the gate, where they finally pulled out of the fire lines and into safety.
In an interview Wednesday with , Mike described the situation as the scariest three minutes of his life.
He said: “I did think that we weren’t going to get through it for a minute.”
A has been set up to help them rebuild their lives.
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The death toll from California's wildfires rose to 40 today as they continue to sweep a 100-mile wide swathe of the state.
More than 10,000 firefighters were battling 16 fires which spread rapidly by shifting winds - the deadliest wildfire in state history.
Jerry Brown, the state governor, said: “This is truly one of the greatest tragedies that California has ever faced. The devastation is just unbelievable. It is a horror that no one could have imagined.”
A total of 100,000 people had been forced from their homes since the fires started six days ago.
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