Raging Fire in California Forces Thousands From Their Homes

A fast-moving fire in the small desert town of Aguanga in Southern California forced the evacuation of thousands of people and had burned more than 1,200 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The fire erupted at about 12:45 p.m. on Monday in dry, bushy hills, and evacuation orders have impacted almost 4,000 people and 1,139 homes, Jeff LaRusso, a spokesman for the fire department, said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Another 500 homes were under evacuation warnings on Tuesday, Mr. LaRusso added, the step before an evacuation order meaning that residents should consider leaving.

Residents posted videos and photos of strong winds and smoky conditions on social media, warning that the fire was moving fast, helped by strong winds. The strong winds and low humidity are the main factors driving the fire, Mr. LaRusso said.

The National Weather Service also issued an air quality alert for the region because of the wildfire smoke. Temperatures were below 50 degrees in Aguanga overnight.

As of Tuesday morning, the fire was zero percent contained, and showed some increased activity as winds picked up but the situation was mostly “status quo,” Mr. LaRusso said, which he added was typical for the overnight hours.

After sunrise, the winds were expected to start picking up again midmorning through the afternoon, which could cause the fire to grow further.

“Everything is predicated on the wind right now,” Mr. LaRusso, the fire department’s spokesman, said.

More than 300 firefighters have responded to the blaze so far, and the fire department said it had used three air tankers to combat the quickly-spreading flames to no avail.

The first firefighters to arrive on the scene encountered “a fire burning with a moderate rate of spread,” according to the fire department, and it has since intensified. The rapid spread of the fire was helped by California’s Santa Ana winds, which are dry, warm winds that come from the desert and are common during the cooler months of the year.

“These strong winds can cause major property damage. They also increase wildfire risk because of the dryness of the winds and the speed at which they can spread a flame across the landscape,” according to the weather service.