A remarkable video has emerged from Santa Paula, California showing firefighters using chainsaws to cut themselves an escape route from a rapidly advancing wildfire.

With 30-foot flames closing in, the firefighters work quickly to clear tangled tree limbs and debris and find a path to safety.

"At that distance from the fire, they were definitely feeling the heat and feeling the pressure," the filmer wrote online.

The dramatic clip was filmed on Tuesday (December 5).

The thousands of men and women fighting Southern California's largest wildfire made progress on Friday thanks to weather that allowed more aircraft to help in the battle.

Authorities also confirmed the first death from the fires on Friday and identified the remains of 70-year-old Virginia Pesola from Santa Paula.

The video shows a fire crew on the other side of a treeline from me with 30 foot flames advancing, threatening to cut them off. They are trying to make their way to our side, when the tangled tree limbs and debris become thicker than expected and they quickly start up chainsaws to clear the heavier branches for a path to freedom. The fire is only 10 or 15 feet from them when they become bogged down and have to start working harder to prevent it from getting any closer. At that distance from the fire, they were definitely feeling the heat ! And feeling the pressure, because a wildfire can move 10 or 15 feet in a second via falling tree limbs, flying embers or some other unexpected happenstance. They begin to pick up the pace and those at the front start flinging debris out of the way for those behind. But you will notice that those in the fire crew in the trailing back half also slow down and sort of get strung out and there is a separation. but thru it all maintain a very high level of professionalism and don't let on how close it was. This is from Santa Paula ca Dec 5th. Video was lost for awhile. Never shown before or downloaded anywhere.