ANAHEIM, Calif. – Flames fanned by Santa Ana winds churned through 1,200 acres of wilderness near the outskirts of Orange County suburbs Monday, forcing the evacuation of 1,500 homes.
Firefighters were protecting the homes on the edge of Anaheim and the city of Orange adjacent to Cleveland National Forest, said Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Stephen Miller.
Pungent smoke stained skies brown for miles across the Los Angeles metropolitan region.
“The ash was coming down like snow, I had all the windows and door shut because it was just overwhelming,” said Kathie Scott, who was ordered by a firefighter to evacuate her Mayberry Ranch home about 11 a.m. She got out with two dogs but had to leave behind a cat and two pet guinea pigs.
The blaze, dubbed the Sierra fire, erupted about 4:30 a.m. in the national forest as the gusty Santa Anas brought withering, warm conditions to Southern California.
Flames burned toward the southwest on rugged land east of the suburbs and the Highway 241 tollway, which firefighters hoped would act as a firebreak. Spot fires occurred beyond the tollway, but were kept small.
“We don’t want it to get across there. If it does it’s within a half a mile of homes,” Miller said.
Hundreds of firefighters were brought in, along with aircraft to make retardant and water drops.
A mix of mandatory and voluntary evacuations occurred in the area, which has mostly newer subdivisions nestled among rolling hills.
Gusts hit up to 60 mph early in the day, with sustained winds of about 30 mph, but moderated to about half that speed in the afternoon, Miller said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, said forest spokeswoman Joan Wynn.
Red flag warnings for critical fire danger were posted for much of the region, from Santa Barbara County south to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Cleveland National Forest sprawls over 460,000 acres from Orange County south through Riverside and San Diego counties.
The Santa Ana winds were generated by high pressure over the high desert and southern Nevada, the National Weather Service said. Blowing from the interior, Santa Anas greatly reduce humidity, drying out vegetation.
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