Valley Fire in Northern Calif. is the most destructive this year — VIDEO

Flames from the Valley Fire cover a hillside along Highway 29 in Lower Lake, California September 13, 2015.REUTERS/Noah Berger

Thousands in northern California fled for their lives as brutal wildfires gobbled up their homes by the hundreds Sunday, September 13, 2015. The Valley Fire, about 115 miles west of Sacramento, quickly spread to 50,000 acres by nightfall. The Bute Fire, at around 65,000 acres, burns about 70 miles east of Sacramento.

Firefighter Jesse Kaplanis battles the Valley Fire in Lower Lake, California September 13, 2015. REUTERS/Noah Berger

**Embargo: Sacramento, CA** Thousands in northern California fled for their lives as brutal wildfires gobbled up their homes by the hundreds Sunday, September 13, 2015. The Valley Fire, about 115 miles west of Sacramento, quickly spread to 50,000 acres by nightfall. The Bute Fire, at around 65,000 acres, burns about 70 miles east of Sacramento.

Cal Fire Santa Clara firefighters rest after battling the Valley Fire in Middletown, California September 13, 2015. REUTERS/Noah Berger

**Embargo: Sacramento, CA** Thousands in northern California fled for their lives as brutal wildfires gobbled up their homes by the hundreds Sunday, September 13, 2015. The Valley Fire, about 115 miles west of Sacramento, quickly spread to 50,000 acres by nightfall. The Bute Fire, at around 65,000 acres, burns about 70 miles east of Sacramento.

A dead horse lies beside Highway 175 after the Valley Fire raged through Middletown, California September 13, 2015. REUTERS/Noah Berger

**Embargo: Sacramento, CA** Thousands in northern California fled for their lives as brutal wildfires gobbled up their homes by the hundreds Sunday, September 13, 2015. The Valley Fire, about 115 miles west of Sacramento, quickly spread to 50,000 acres by nightfall. The Bute Fire, at around 65,000 acres, burns about 70 miles east of Sacramento.

Burned out remains of a vehicle and swing set scorched by the Valley Fire line Jefferson St. in Middletown, California September 13, 2015. REUTERS/Noah Berger

An oven remains standing amid ruins of a home leveled by the Valley Fire on Lincoln St. in Middletown, California September 13, 2015. REUTERS/Noah Berger

A burned out car sits in front of a vineyard following the Valley Fire near Middleton, California September 14, 2015. At least 400 homes and hundreds of other buildings have gone up in flames and one person has been killed in a Northern California wildfire that ranks as the most destructive this summer in the U.S. West, officials said on Monday. The Valley Fire, which erupted Saturday afternoon and spread quickly to a cluster of small communities in the hills and valleys north of the Napa Valley wine country, has forced thousands of residents from their homes in the area. REUTERS/Noah Berger

LAKEPORT, Calif. — At least 400 homes and hundreds of other buildings have gone up in flames in a Northern California wildfire that ranks as the most destructive this summer in the U.S. West, officials said on Monday.

The so-called Valley Fire, which erupted Saturday afternoon and spread quickly to a cluster of small communities in the hills and valleys north of the Napa County’s wine-producing region, has also displaced thousands of residents under expanded evacuations.

By Monday morning the blaze had devoured about 61,000 acres of tinder-dry forests, brush and grasslands, and was only about 5 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.