Santa Ana Winds Trigger Uncontrolled Wildfire Southeast of Los Angeles
Evacuation orders for 4,000 people in Riverside County from wildfires that are 0% contained
A wildfire started Monday afternoon after the Santa Ana winds arrived, near the town of Aguanga and has so far burned through 1,200 acres, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Dry conditions helped fuel the inferno and trigger evacuation orders for more than 1,100 homes. Another 500 homes are under an evacuation warning, according to fire department spokesperson Jerry LaRusso, meaning people there should be prepared for a potential evacuation.
Named the Highland fire, the blaze was reported at 12:37 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, at Highlands and Aguanga Ranchos roads. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had rolled through at least 2,200 acres.
Santa Ana winds are warm, dry gusts that sweep through Southern California every year. Recent winds and dry conditions created grass and brush that was “almost like kindling,” according to LaRusso. This week has seen the most powerful winds of the season so far, with gusts measuring from 20 to 25 miles per hour fanning the flames across the dessicated landscape.
Light grasses and medium-sized shrubs, full of moisture from a rain-soaked winter and spring, were dried out by the heated winds within about an hour, La Russo said. With a more favorable upcoming forecast, firefighters are counting on the vegetation retaining more moisture overnight, which would help limit the fire’s spread.
An air quality alert was issued by the National Weather Service due to smoke from the blaze. As of Tuesday morning, firefighters said the fire was zero percent contained. The combined effort of 300 firefighters and three air tankers has so far failed to prevent the wildfire’s spread.
The Santa Ana winds, blowing in from the east, were pushing the flames of the Highland fire through a lightly populated area toward Sage Road and Highway 79, said Jeff La Russo, a spokesman for Riverside County incident command, on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
Containment remained at 0% well into the firefight because crews were focusing on dousing the flames and not cutting lines in the land, La Russo said. The hope is the weather will allow crews to shift that focus. Containment refers to the percentage of a fire’s perimeter that has been surrounded by a fire control line or natural barriers such as a body of water that officials believe the flames will not cross.
Nine buildings, including at least one home, have been damaged or destroyed.
Relative humidity – a measure of how much moisture is in the air – was very low on Monday: around 5% to 15%, according to a forecast discussion from the National Weather Service in San Diego. When relative humidity decreases, fires are easily triggered and sustained.
Once fires form, gusty winds cause these fires to spread quickly and even blow their embers into the distance to start additional fires. Winds gusted over 50 mph near the fire, driven by a Santa Ana event which began over the weekend across parts of Southern California.
As air travels from the high elevation of the mountains down to sea level, it is compressed by higher pressure, which heats it up and dries it out.
California wildfires have been pacing well-below average so far this year, with over 315,000 acres burned as of October 31. Several back-to-back “atmospheric rivers” slammed into the state from the Pacific Ocean, bringing much-needed moisture to the region which had been suffering from years of sustained drought. Typically, fires have scorched 1.5 million acres of California by this point in the year, according to CAL FIRE.
One firefighter had an unspecified injury that required hospitalization, La Russo said. He described the firefighter’s condition as “stable.”
The fire prompted the temporary closure of the Aguanga post office. Customers served by that office who bring a photo identification can pick up their mail at the Temecula post office, at 30777 Rancho California Road in Temecula. Hours for pickup are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
A reception and care center opened at Great Oak High School, at 32555 Deer Hollow Way in Temecula. Large and small animals could be taken to San Jacinto Animal Shelter, at 581 South Grand Ave. in San Jacinto.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.