The small northern California town of Weed was settled because of its high winds, which dried lumber fresh out of the sawmill.

Those winds have also proved to be the town's undoing after they fueled a wildfire that residents say burned about a quarter of the town. The sawmill has been damaged and the town faces must now climb out of the ash and back to its feet.

The blaze -- being called Boles Fire -- has destroyed more than 150 homes and buildings, according to a report from NBC News. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling the fire that began on Monday.

One of the buildings that was completely destroyed in the blaze was the town's Holy Family Catholic Church.

The latest reports on Wednesday say the fire is only 25 percent contained and that it covers 375 acres. More than half of Weed's residents were forced to evacuate to escape the blaze, which was fueled by 40 mph winds.

"Everybody who I really know, I think, lost everything," said resident Mercedes Castillo.

So far no reports of injuries or deaths have emerged, but much of the town has been reduced to a charred rubble.

"Feeling completely helpless, standing there with everyone not knowing what to do or where to go, was the scariest thing I've ever had to deal with," said Tasha Davis, another Weed resident.

The town's symbolic sawmill, which was built in 1897 by the man who founded the town, also caught fire. News reports say some of the mill's outer buildings were destroyed, but the main building made it through the fire.

The mill employs 170 workers, the second largest employer in Weed, a town of just fewer than 3,000 people, according to a report from CBS News.

"It's just going to be this close-knit community trying to get back on track," said Siskiyou County Supervisor Michael Kobseff. "It's not going to be overnight."