(CNN) California Gov. Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency for Los Angeles County on Sunday due to the ongoing La Tuna brush fire near Burbank. 
 
 Since the fire started Friday, it has burned more than 5,895 acres , forced residents to evacuate from their homes, shut down an interstate and sent massive plumes of smoke into the air. 
 
 Brown's declaration will allow state personnel and equipment to be used in fighting the fires, at the direction of the California Office of Emergency Services. 
 
 But there were signs Sunday night that emergency personnel were beginning to drive back the blaze. 
 
 More than 1,000 firefighters from the immediate region and throughout California are battling the fire, which has destroyed three homes and damaged one other, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said during a press conference Sunday. Burbank is in Los Angeles County. 
 
 There are 206 fire engines and nine helicopters dedicated to fighting the fire, Terrazas said. 
 
 Strong winds 
 
 The fire started Friday and tore through the La Tuna Canyon Park area of the Verdugo Mountains, the Los Angeles Fire Department said 
 
 Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed a declaration of local emergency on Saturday that instructed all city agencies to "take all necessary steps to protect life and property in the area" affected by what is now the largest fire the city has ever seen. 
 
 "The La Tuna Canyon Fire is an emergency that requires all available resources to protect our residents and keep our homes and other structures out of harm's way," Garcetti said in a statement. 
 
 Garcetti said Saturday that 300 homes in Burbank and 180 homes in Los Angeles were under evacuation orders. 
 
 There were four reports of injuries: two people suffered dehydration and two had minor burns. 
 
 "We do not have this fire contained," Garcetti said, but officials have "identified ways we can bring this fire to rest" in coming days. 
 
 Rain on Sunday was a mixed blessing, Terraza said, as it brought much needed moisture, but also strong winds that have blown the fire around. 
 
 On the fire line of #LaTunaFire #LAFD continuing full ops through the night to include @LAFDAirOps 📷Peter Sanders pic.twitter.com/AcMOcOEvw0 — LAFD Talk (@LAFDtalk) September 2, 2017 
 
 At least 100 firefighters who were sent to Houston to help in Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts were heading back to California to help with the fire, Terrazas said at the Saturday news conference. 
 
 According to Terrazas, it is the largest fire, by acreage, that the Los Angeles city area has ever seen. 
 
 Hot temperatures and high winds on Friday in the Los Angeles area contributed to the "large plume growth and extreme fire behavior," the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles said. 
 
 Update: still very erratic Fire behavior on the #LaTunaFire as winds continue to change, Fire has entered #Burbank city limits. #Breaking pic.twitter.com/ztMKxelGAI — Bernie Deyo (@EPN473) September 1, 2017 
 
 "These weather factors will result in the potential for rapid fire spread in the warned area through at least Saturday evening," the weather service said. 
 
 There are currently more than 12,000 firefighters battling 19 wildfires across the state of California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. ||||| Mandatory evacuation orders came into effect in parts of Burbank Sept. 1, as fire crews battled a fast-growing brush fire. (Los Angeles Fire Department via Storyful) 
 
 A fast-spreading brush fire north of Los Angeles forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes Friday and Saturday as firefighters struggled against triple-digit temperatures and erratic winds to contain the blaze, officials said. 
 
 Within a day, the wildfire — named the La Tuna Fire for its origin in La Tuna Canyon to the north of Burbank — had grown to cover more than 5,000 acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. In all, about 300 homes in Burbank, 250 homes in Glendale and 180 homes in Los Angeles were under evacuation as of Saturday afternoon. 
 
 As of Saturday, the fire was 10 percent contained. Although no injuries were reported, one home had been destroyed, the fire department said. 
 
 “This continues to be a very dynamic fire,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas said at a news conference Saturday. “The weather conditions are somewhat stable, but that could change at any moment.” 
 
 [San Francisco smashes all-time high, hits 106 degrees] 
 
 Terrazas added he was confident the fire had burned “well above” 5,000 acres as of Saturday afternoon, but he was not able to give a fixed acreage. Earlier in the day, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed that by acreage, the blaze was the largest in the city’s history. 
 
 Fire officials said erratic wind and weather were posing the greatest challenges to extinguishing the fire. Authorities were particularly concerned about how quickly the blaze could spread in the area’s canyons. 
 
 “This is a slow burning, ‘backing’ fire (meaning it burns down hill) and we have resources at the base of the hills to defend homes,” fire spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said in a statement. “When the fire encounters a canyon, it can accelerate and burn uphill.” 
 
 Video taken Saturday morning near La Tuna Canyon Road, over the hills to the north of Burbank, showed flames and heavy smoke. 
 
 The La Tuna Fire was first reported about 1:30 p.m. Friday as a small, one-acre vegetation fire south of Interstate 210 near Burbank. Although firefighters quickly extinguished the bulk of that fire, high winds caused embers to jump across the highway, sparking a spot fire north of I-210, Stewart said. 
 
 Within a few hours, more than 250 firefighters from multiple agencies had been dispatched to the fire, which had grown to 500 acres and shut down a portion of I-210. 
 
 By 9 p.m. Friday, the fire had tripled in size to 1,500 acres. Authorities soon ordered mandatory evacuations, street by street, for neighborhoods in Burbank closest to Verdugo Mountain Park. A surreal scene unfolded in Burbank as bright flames could be seen coming over the hilltops to the north of the city. 
 
 @BurbankPD helicopter TFO took this photo a few minutes ago from high above #Burbank. #LaTunaFire pic.twitter.com/mQ42ZKfzd7 — Burbank Police (@BurbankPD) September 2, 2017 
 
 Nearly 200 homes in Burbank were evacuated late Friday, with police officers going door to door throughout the night to ensure residents had left the area. Police continued to enforce new mandatory evacuation orders throughout Saturday. 
 
 Just before midnight, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that the La Tuna Fire was burning in four directions, including down over the hills toward Burbank and north through the La Tuna Canyon above I-210. The fire’s “erratic” spread was “driven by strong, gusting winds,” the agency said. 
 
 #LaTunaFire General burn area of fire +5,000 acres 10% contained 1 house lost Detailed evac map pending List here https://t.co/YrRAiGk9Tv pic.twitter.com/KduKAoUzdJ — LAFD (@LAFD) September 2, 2017 
 
 California has been experiencing a severe heat wave, expected to last through Labor Day. 
 
 Carol Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told the Los Angeles Times that a combination of conditions were working against firefighters: temperatures of up to 106 degrees, 50 mph gusts of wind and unstable air. 
 
 “It just really stokes the fire,” Smith told the newspaper. “I mean, when it’s hot and the gusty winds, it’s been a bad mix of different things.” 
 
 As of Saturday afternoon, more than 500 firefighters were on scene, and a large portion of I-210 remained closed. Officials cautioned residents in the area to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities because of heavy smoke. Police expect mandatory evacuation orders to remain in place into Sunday afternoon. 
 
 “Despite fire size, we remain confident in the plan in place and the work all firefighters at the incident are doing in defending property and lives,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said. 
 
 1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Photos of a fast-spreading wildfire burning north of Los Angeles View Photos The Los Angeles Fire Department has issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents in Burbank, Calif., as a raging brush fire threatens their homes. The fire north of Los Angeles also has shut down both sides of key freeway for holiday weekend travel. Caption The Los Angeles Fire Department has issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents in Burbank, Calif., as a raging brush fire threatens their homes. The fire north of Los Angeles also has shut down both sides of key freeway for holiday weekend travel. Sept. 2, 2017 The La Tuna Canyon fire burns at night in the hills above Burbank, Calif. The brush fire, which quickly burned 3,000 acres, was being driven by heat-wave temperatures and high winds. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
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 Wildfires used to be rare in the Great Plains. They’ve more than tripled in 30 years. ||||| Massive wildfires sweeping through California have killed at least 31 people and damaged thousands of homes, businesses and other buildings, authorities said. 
 
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 More than half of the deaths occurred in Sonoma County alone, officials said. Taken together, the death toll from this week's fires exceeds the number of fatalities in the 1933 Griffith Park Fire in Los Angeles, the deadliest wildfire in California history. 
 
 Firefighters were still battling 21 large wildfires in multiple counties as of Thursday morning. Intensified by strong winds, the flames have charred more than 190,000 acres of land, damaged or destroyed at least 3,500 structures and forced more than 20,000 residents to evacuate, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 Containment of the fire has increased, and weather conditions are expected to improve overnight, officials said Thursday. 
 
 The causes of the fires is still under investigation. 
 
 More than 8,000 firefighters and support personnel are battling the fires, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties in Northern California. 
 
 With firefighters stretched thin throughout the state, federal agencies as well as neighboring Nevada and nearby Washington state are assisting with resources. Authorities said 1,000 fire departments from San Diego to Oregon have joined the effort. Requests for resources have also gone out to Idaho, Montana, North and South Carolina, New Mexico, Arizona, as well as Australia, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. 
 
 NASA Earth Observatory/EPA 
 
 About 400 people were unaccounted for in Sonoma County as of Thursday morning, according to the sheriff's office. Out of about 1,000 missing people reports that have been filed since the fires began, about 600 people have been safely located, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said Thursday afternoon. Officials said some of the reports of missing persons may be duplicates. 
 
 At least 7,000 people were without power Wednesday in Napa County. 
 
 In the wake of the fires, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday morning that it has arrested five people for looting in evacuation areas. 
 
 Three of the individuals were Santa Rosa natives who were arrested and booked on a number of offenses. A 28-year-old man was found with two stolen bikes as well as narcotics, police said. A 48-year-old woman and a 49-year-old woman were also arrested, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department. 
 
 In the city of Santa Rosa, 2,834 homes had been destroyed. Critical infrastructure was also lost in the blaze, including the fire station, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said Thursday afternoon. 
 
 Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 With mandatory evacuation orders still in place, many residents in the affected areas have been warned not to return to their homes until further notice. 
 
 "Life is more important than property," Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano said at a press conference Tuesday. 
 
 He said he thinks the wildfires will be "one of the worst natural disasters in California history." 
 
 Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 Here's a roundup of the main fires threatening the state: 
 
 Southern LNU Complex fires 
 
 The so-called Atlas, Nuns, Patrick and Pressley fires are considered branches of one giant blaze in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties — collectively known as the Southern LNU Complex — according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 Mandatory evacuations and road closures were underway in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties, the heart of California's wine country, as the flames threatened thousands of structures. 
 
 The Atlas fire has scorched 43,762 acres in Napa and Solano counties since the inferno began Sunday night, and just 3 percent of the blaze was contained Wednesday night. The enormous fire has destroyed 125 structures. 
 
 Eric Risberg/AP 
 
 The Nuns fire has charred 14,698 acres in Sonoma County since Sunday night. It was just 3 percent contained Thursday morning. 
 
 The Patrick fire has burned 10,817 acres in Napa County since Sunday night, and only 2 percent of it was contained Thursday afternoon. 
 
 The Adobe fire has singed 9,004 acres in Sonoma County. Just 1 percent of it was contained as of Wednesday night. 
 
 The Norbbom fire has scorched 4,331 acres in Sonoma County, and only 1 percent of it was contained Wednesday night. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Pressley fire has charred 473 acres in Sonoma County. It was just 1 percent contained Wednesday night. 
 
 Josh Haner/The New York Times via Redux 
 
 Central LNU Complex fires 
 
 The Tubbs and Pocket fires make up another enormous blaze, known as the the Central LNU Complex, in Napa and Sonoma counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. More than 16,000 structures are threatened. 
 
 The Tubbs fire has burned 34,270 acres in Napa County since Sunday night, and it was 10 percent contained Thursday morning. The fire has destroyed 571 structures. Most of the deaths were due to the Tubbs fire, authorities said. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Pocket fire has singed 8,130 acres in Sonoma County since Monday morning. 
 
 Josh Haner/The New York Times via Redux 
 
 Mendocino Lake Complex fires 
 
 The Redwood/Potter fires and the Sulphur fire make up a giant blaze, known as the Mendocino Lake Complex, in Lake and Mendocino counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 The Redwood/Potter fires have scorched 32,100 acres in Mendocino County since Sunday night. It was just 5 percent contained Thursday morning. 
 
 The Sulphur fire has charred 2,500 acres in Lake County since late Sunday night, and 45 percent of it was contained by Thursday morning. 
 
 Josh Haner/The New York Times via Redux 
 
 Wind Complex fires 
 
 The Cascade, La Porte, Lobo and McCourtney fires make up one huge blaze in Butte, Nevada and Yuba counties, collectively known as the Wind Complex, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 The Cascade fire has burned 10,171 acres in Yuba County since it began Sunday morning. It was 45 percent contained by Thursday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle/Polaris 
 
 La Porte fire has singed 6,059 acres in Butte County since the blaze ignited early Monday morning and was 25 percent contained Thursday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 The Lobo fire has scorched 829 acres in Nevada County since early Monday morning. It was 52 percent contained Thursday morning. 
 
 Meanwhile, the McCourtney fire has charred 76 acres in Nevada County since early Monday morning, and 89 percent of it was contained Thursday morning. 
 
 Nick Giblin/DroneBase via AP 
 
 Canyon 2 fire 
 
 The Canyon 2 fire has burned 9,217 acres in Southern California's Orange County since the flames started Monday morning. It was 60 percent contained by Thursday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 At least 3,000 residents were evacuated in and around Anaheim as thousands of structures were threatened by the blaze. 
 
 Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 
 
 Cherokee fire 
 
 The Cherokee fire has singed 8,360 acres in Butte County since Sunday night and was 60 percent contained Thursday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 Jeff Chiu/AP 
 
 37 fire 
 
 The 37 fire has scorched 1,660 acres in Sonoma County since it started Monday afternoon. It was 70 percent contained by Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 
 
 Jeff Chiu/AP 
 
 What's ahead for California 
 
 A cold front swept through much of California on Wednesday, bringing more gusty winds and lower humidity, according to ABC News meteorologists. 
 
 Winds were expected to continue to be gusty on Thursday, with some up to 50 mph in central California. Relative humidity will be in the teens in central and northern California and in the single digits in Southern California. 
 
 These winds will continue through Saturday as a second cold front approaches the region, meteorologists said. 
 
 The weather conditions have local authorities concerned about "aggressive" fire behavior. 
 
 The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings for Central and Northern California for Wednesday through Thursday. Fire weather watches were issued for Southern California for Thursday through Saturday. An air quality alert was also issued for central California. 
 
 Jeff Chiu/AP 
 
 As firefighters work to snuff the raging blazes, Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum told ABC News officials have asked everyone to "help us out." 
 
 Crum confirmed that the alert system put in place gave residents ample time to evacuate and likely prevented many deaths. 
 
 "We have a subscription service where we can alert our residents, and we did that right away, trying to notify everybody where the fire was, where it was going and how fast it was going, and I think it saved a lot of lives," he said. 
 
 The sheriff's sergeant conceded that it could take a long time for communities to bounce back. 
 
 "We have a lot of rebuilding here," Crum said. 
 
 Getty Images 
 
 Santa Rosa resident Jeff Okrepkie said he fled his home of five years knowing that it could very well be leveled when he returned. 
 
 "All that good stuff, I'm never going to see it again," he told ABC's San Francisco station KGO on Monday. 
 
 Okrepkie said he and his wife tried their best to gather their most precious documents, photos and mementos, but it was impossible to grab everything in time. 
 
 DigitalGlobe 
 
 Mike Turpen, 38, said he was at a bar in the Glen Ellen area of Sonoma County when someone stormed in wearing a smoke mask and yelled, "Fire!" He said he drove through the flames in his pickup truck with hopes of saving his home. 
 
 Turpen said his yard was scorched and still flaming in some spots, but he managed to keep his home from burning down. 
 
 "It was like Armageddon was on," Turpen told KGO. "Every branch of every tree was on fire." 
 
 Chris Canning, mayor of the city of Calistoga, said that while there has been no fire activity within city limits, residents are still being urged to evacuate. 
 
 "Your presence in Calistoga is not welcome if you are not a first responder," Canning said in a press conference Thursday morning, according to the Napa Valley Register. "Your choice to stay, and there have been very few of them, is a distraction to our first responders. You will not be given life safety support at this point. You are on your own." 
 
 ABC News' Matt Foster, Max Golembo, Jenna Harrison, Marilyn Heck, M.L. Nestel, Rex Sakamoto and Ginger Zee contributed to this report.
– Houston is underwater, but Los Angeles is on fire as the largest wildfire in its history burned at least 5,000 acres and forced hundreds of people to evacuate amid scorching temperatures and unpredictable winds of up to 50mph. "The La Tuna Canyon Fire is an emergency that requires all available resources to protect our residents and keep our homes and other structures out of harm's way," LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said Saturday, per CNN. The fire, which broke out Friday near Burbank, is about 10% contained, notes the Washington Post. At least 100 firefighters who had been sent to help Houston in the Harvey aftermath were being recalled home.