California wildfires: 13 missing hikers trapped in Tahoe National Forest are found as hundreds are evacuated from homes as inferno chars 5,000 acres

A group of 13 young hikers who went missing in the heart of a raging wildfire in California were found alive after a desperate search.

At about 7:20am on Monday, the sheriff's office announced that their helicopter had located the missing group amid the raging fires, which have charred 5,000 acres.

'Search and rescue crews will be inserted to hike out with them,' the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The group, aged between 16 and 20, were believed to be trapped somewhere within the inferno's reach, authorities revealed in a chilling early morning update.

The Royal Fire began Sunday evening in the Tahoe National Forest, spreading quickly and growing to 168 acres.

Officials with the Tahoe National Forest believe the fire was sparked by an escaped campfire.

Deputies first discovered four abandoned vehicles near the Palisades Creek Trail on Sunday.

Placer County Sheriff's Office confirmed at 6:30am that their Search and Rescue team had been scrambled to locate the missing teens and young adults.

Officials also said they deployed a helicopter to comb the smoke-filled terrain from above in a desperate bid to find the lost hikers.

'Placer County Sheriff's Search and Rescue is out working to locate them. Our helicopter will also be up searching. We'll continue to update as the search continues,' they announced.

They believe the hikers had intended to camp beyond the area where the fire started.

As the fire continued spreading, residents of a 22,000-acre area in Placer County southwest of Truckee were placed under an evacuation warning. As of Monday morning, the fire remained uncontained.

This comes as massive wildfire erupt across California, blazing across 5,000 acres and sparking evacuations in various neighborhoods.

A wildfire, dubbed the Lake Fire, left more than 300 acres of land charred in the Los Padres National Forest.

The blazing Lake Fire had spread to about 4,673 acres before 11 pm, according to Los Padres officials.

Pictures from the scene show red skies and trees on fire as firefighters run to control the situation.

Images from the aftermath also show giant plumes of smoke emerging from the forest as branches continue to burn into ash.