Approximately 4,000 people in southern California have been evacuated this week as a wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds threatens their houses on Tuesday.
A fireman approaches the Highland Fire in Aguana, Calif., on Oct. 31, 2023. On Oct. 31, high winds fueled a southern California wildfire, forcing many to flee. The fire began at lunchtime on Oct. 30 and covered 2,200 acres by morning. 5,700 residents were asked to evacuate. (Source: USA Today)
Wildfire Fueled by Santa Ana Winds
As of Tuesday, the Highland Fire or wildfire was burning a little over 1,200 acres in Riverside County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s website. The wildfire is located roughly southeast of Los Angeles in Riverside County, which has a population of about 2.4 million people, according to the Census Bureau. The wildfire broke out around 12:37 p.m. Monday in rural Aguanga and remained unattended throughout the evening, according to the agency. According to Rob Rosen, public relations officer for Cal Fire – Riverside County Fire Department, no fatalities have been reported thus far.
The National Weather Service in San Diego, which serves Aguanga, issued a wind alert until 8 p.m. Tuesday, anticipating Santa Ana winds of 50 mph. According to the agency, northeast winds are blowing at 15 to 25 mph. The agency did not immediately reply to a request for comment from USA TODAY on Tuesday. The National Weather Service predicts that the winds will die down by Wednesday. Due to the low humidity and high winds, the meteorological service issued a red flag warning for mountains and valleys in Los Angeles and Ventura counties that will persist until about 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday. “When combined with dry vegetation and low relative humidity, elevated fire weather conditions remain,” said weather service forecaster Cody Snell in the agency’s short-term forecast released Tuesday.
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