Major wildfires burning across the West have consumed tens of thousands of acres and forced evacuations in at least three states.

Firefighters are trying to contain a growing wildfire in coastal Southern California and a larger blaze in rural New Mexico as hot weather and wind feed flames.

Sherpa Fire

The biggest concern is the so-called Sherpa Fire in Santa Barbara County, California. The Sherpa Fire in California grew to about 1,400 acres overnight after forcing authorities to evacuate 400 homes and businesses and to close part of the 101 Freeway, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and Reuters.

The fire is tearing through coastal canyons west of Santa Barbara, scorching an area that hadn't burned in 60 years, according to Fox News.

Winds gusting to nearly 40 mph pushed the fire close to an ExxonMobil crude oil processing facility that employs about 250 workers, CBS News reported. ExxonMobil evacuated non-essential employees from the Las Flores Canyon site, and those that remained through the night helped protect it against the flames, company spokesman Todd Spitler said.

By morning, the fire posed little risk to the facility with a cleared buffer zone, Zaniboni said.

New Mexico Dog Head and North Fires

Southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Dog Head Fire, which broke out on Tuesday about 6 miles northwest of the town of Tajique, has also forced evacuations and grown to about 16,000 acres overnight. The fire destroyed 24 homes and 21 other structures, InciWeb reported.

New Mexico's Torrance County Sheriff Heath White said on Thursday that his office was evacuating about 200 people.

The largest of these fires, the North Fire, has burned more than 26,000 acres in the San Mateo Mountains of southwestern New Mexico over the course of nearly a month. The lightning-caused North Fire started May 21 in the Cibola National Forest and is only 30% contained.

Cedar Creek Fire in Arizona

A wildfire near Show Low, Arizona, started Wednesday and swiftly grew in size. The so-called Cedar Creek Fire has burned nearly four square miles of brush and timber in rugged terrain about nine miles from Show Low, and thousands of area residents remain under pre-evacuation advisories.

Navajo County spokesman Adam Wolfe said only about a dozen people have been evacuated.

Heat wave

The weather service issued excessive heat warnings for areas in the U.S. Southwest, including California, Nevada and Arizona and New Mexico. Its forecast office in Phoenix predicted temperatures as high as 119 degrees Fahrenheit in the coming days, which would exceed record highs.

Here are photos from the most dangerous wildfires currently burning in the Western U.S.:

Firefighters from the Lompoc City Fire Department take shelter behind their engine

Firefighters from the Lompoc City Fire Department take shelter behind their engine Thursday as wind-driven flames advance from the Sherpa Fire. The flames were crossing Calle Real near El Capitan State Park in Santa Barbara County. (Photo: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP Photo)

a wildfire briefing from a U.S. Forest Service official on Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Ariz.

Navajo County Sheriff KC Clark, second from left, listens during a wildfire briefing from a U.S. Forest Service official on Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Ariz., on Thursday. Fire lines were holding Thursday in the fight against a wildfire threatening several communities with thousands of residents in east-central Arizona. (Photo: James Molesa of the Navajo County Sheriff's Office via AP Photo)

Smoke from a wind-driven brush fire on the southwest edge of Reno, Nev.

Smoke from a wind-driven brush fire on the southwest edge of Reno, Nev., blows across town as about 100 firefighters battled the blaze Wednesday. No mandatory evacuations had been ordered but about a two dozen homes were threatened in the Caughlin Ranch area neighborhoods on the edge of the foothills of the Sierra's eastern front. (Photo: Scott Sonner/AP Photo)

sky turns golden over the mountains as the sun sets late Thursday, June 16, 2016, in Denver

The sky turns golden over the mountains as the sun sets late Thursday in Denver. Smoke from the Dog Head Fire in central New Mexico has left a haze over Denver and eastern Colorado on Thursday, prompting air quality alerts for residents with breathing problems. (Photo: David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

Firefighters watch as a wildfire burns west of Goleta, Calif.

Santa Barbara County firefighters watch as a wildfire burns west of Goleta, Calif., Thursday. (Photo: Nick Ut/AP Photo)

A firefighter knocks down flames as they approach a ranch near the Las Flores Canyon area west of Goleta, Calif.

A firefighter knocks down flames as they approach a ranch near the Las Flores Canyon area west of Goleta, Calif., in the early morning hours of Thursday. (Photo: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP Photo)

Aerial view of wildfire burning in Los Padres National Forest

This photo provided by Los Padres Forest Aviation and KEYT-TV shows a wildfire burning in Los Padres National Forest, north of Santa Barbara, on Wednesday in Goleta, Calif. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office says mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Refugio Canyon, Venadito Canyon and Las Flores Canyon, which includes an ExxonMobil refinery. (Photo: Mark Nunez/Los Padres Forest Aviation/KEYT-TV via AP Photo)

Helicopter makes a water drop over a wildfire in a remote coastal area west of Santa Barbara

In this image made from video, a helicopter makes a water drop over a wildfire in a remote coastal area west of Santa Barbara, Calif., on Thursday. A fleet of aircraft dropped water and retardant to combat a wind-driven wildfire burning out of control Thursday. (Photo: KABC-7 via AP Photo)

Aerial image made from video of wildfire burning in remote coastal area west of Santa Barbara

In this image made from video, a wildfire burns in a remote coastal area west of Santa Barbara, Calif., on Thursday. A fleet of aircraft dropped water and retardant to combat a wind-driven wildfire burning out of control there. (Photo: KABC-7 via AP Photo)

A skycrane helicopter makes an emergency water drop onto the US Highway 101

A skycrane helicopter makes an emergency water drop onto the US Highway 101 center divider near the El Capitan State Park Thursday. Wind-driven flames from the Sherpa Fire pushed down the canyon and near the freeway. (Photo: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP Photo)

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Wildfires burn across the Western U.S. triggering evacuations [photos]

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