A smoky and fast-growing wildfire yesterday in windy Southern California has prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings.
The Springs Fire broke out at around 11am and by 3.30pm had grown to 11.5sqkm. The cause of the fire east of Moreno Valley in Riverside County is under investigation.
It was not immediately known how many households are under evacuation warnings or orders.
The fire was burning in a populated – but not densely so – unincorporated part of Riverside County, in a recreational area near the city of Moreno Valley, which has a population of roughly 200,000.
The city is 16km southeast of Riverside and 103km east of Los Angeles.
“It’s windy out there,” said Maggie Cline De La Rosa, a public information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in Riverside County.
Alex Izaguirre, a spokesperson for the Cal Fire Riverside County, said the wind is “spreading the smoke,” prompting concerned calls from residents in neighbouring cities who can see and smell the smoke.
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