Terrifying footage shows two men defy death as they crossed through the hellish Cascade wildfire raging in California.

Mike Vien and his roommate had minutes to escape the fire that rushed towards their home in Loma Rica.

The night was lit in a toxic orange glow and their main escape route was blocked by the fast-approaching fire.

'We're going to f*****g die dude, we gotta get out of here,' Mike exclaimed as the wind drove burning embers down mercilessly on top of them. 

He caught their harrowing escape on camera as they battled though the blaze and narrowly avoided death. 

As the fire devoured oxygen from the air, Mike jumped out of their vehicle to open a gate guarding a smoke-obscured road in the terrifying footage.

'I can't breath,' he said as the wind hurled millions of burning embers all around him.