A fast-moving wildfire in Orange County, Southern California, has engulfed several coastal properties and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
The Orange County Fire Authority said on Friday that the Norte Fire had burned about 188 hectares (465 acres), reports Al Jazeera.
By Friday evening, the state’s Cal Fire agency estimated the burned area at about 231 hectares (570 acres).
At least six homes had been damaged or destroyed in the San Juan Capistrano area.
Firefighters were “aggressively attacking the fire from the ground and air”, the fire authority said, urging people to stay away from the affected area.
Unseasonably high temperatures and low humidity have fuelled the fire’s rapid spread, AFP reported.
The Norte Fire broke out in the coastal city of San Clemente on Friday before spreading to San Juan Capistrano. By evening, authorities had issued evacuation orders covering about 6,000 homes and 16,000 residents.
Authorities opened an evacuation shelter in each city as helicopters worked to douse the flames.
Intense warm winds
The Norte Fire is among several wildfires in the region driven by Santa Ana winds, powerful, warm gusts that blow from the southwestern US interior towards the California coast.
According to The Weather Channel, the winds typically arrive in autumn, when Southern California’s vegetation becomes driest after a long, rainless summer.
Forecasters reported coastal wind speeds of between 55km/h and 90km/h (35mph and 55mph).
The strongest winds were expected to continue through Friday, while the high temperatures and low humidity contributing to the fire’s growth were forecast to persist until Saturday night.
Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County were left without electricity as authorities took measures to reduce the risk of electrical sparks carried by strong wind gusts.
Other ongoing fires
Firefighters were also battling the Bryson Fire, which broke out on the outskirts of the Malibu beach community in Los Angeles County on Thursday.
By Friday, the blaze had burned about 59 hectares (147 acres) and was 17% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Meanwhile, the Henderson Fire in San Diego County had burned about 842 hectares (2,080 acres) and was 20 per cent contained by Friday, Cal Fire said.
The blaze affected Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and prompted freeway closures.
