LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire forced evacuation orders for 70,000 people and seriously injured two firefighters in Southern California on Monday as powerful winds across the state prompted power to be cut to hundreds of thousands to prevent utility equipment from sparking new blazes.

The smoky fire exploded in size to over 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) within a few hours of breaking out around dawn in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Strong gusts pushed flames along brushy ridges in Silverado Canyon and near houses in the sprawling city of Irvine, home to about 280,000 residents. There was no containment.

Two firefighters, one 26 and the other 31 years old, were critically injured while battling the blaze, according to the county’s Fire Authority, which didn’t provide details on how the injuries occurred. They each suffered second- and third-degree burns over large portions of their bodies and were intubated at a hospital, officials said.

Kelsey Brewer and her three roommates decided to leave their townhouse before the evacuation order came in. The question was where to go in the pandemic. They decided on the home of her girlfriend’s mother, who has ample space and lives alone.

“We literally talked about it this morning,” Brewer said, adding that she feels lucky to have a safe place to go. “We can only imagine how screwed everyone else feels. There’s nowhere you can go to feel safe.”

Water-dropping helicopters were briefly grounded because the strong winds made it unsafe to fly. Officials didn’t immediately know the cause of the fire, one of several that broke out across the region, including another one in Orange County that prompted evacuation orders near the city of Yorba Linda.

About 355,000 power customers — estimated at about 1 million people — were in the dark in the northern part of the state as officials issued warnings for what could be the strongest winds in California this year.

Firefighting crews that had been at the ready overnight quickly contained small blazes that broke out Sunday in Northern California’s Sonoma and Shasta counties. The causes were under investigation.

North of San Francisco, a Mount St. Helena weather station recorded a hurricane-force gust of 89 mph (143 kph) late Sunday and sustained winds of 76 mph (122 kph). Some Sierra Nevada peaks registered gusts well over 100 mph (161 mph).

The “shut-offs probably did prevent dangerous fires last night. It’s almost impossible to imagine that winds of this magnitude would not have sparked major conflagrations in years past,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said on Twitter.

Winds had calmed slightly by Monday, but still topped 60 mph (97 kph) and the strong winds and dry conditions were expected to prevail through Tuesday. A second round of strong gusts is predicted to sweep through the same areas Monday night, the National Weather Service warned. Officials extended a red flag extreme fire danger warning through 5 p.m. Tuesday for the region’s eastern and northern mountainous areas.

Scientists have said climate change has made California much drier, meaning trees and other plants are more flammable. October and November are traditionally the worst months for fires, but already this year 8,600 wildfires in the state have scorched a record 6,400 square miles (16,600 square kilometers) and destroyed about 9,200 homes, businesses and other buildings. There have been 31 deaths.

The electricity shutdowns marked the fifth time this year that Pacific Gas & Electric, the nation’s largest utility, has cut power to customers to reduce the risk of downed or fouled power lines or other equipment that could ignite blazes amid bone-dry weather conditions and gusty winds.

The utility shut off power to about 355,000 customers in 34 Northern California counties but said that improved weather conditions allow it to prevent cutting electricity in two other central California counties.

“This event is by far the largest we’ve experienced this year, the most extreme weather,” said Aaron Johnson, the utility’s vice president of wildfire safety and public engagement. “We’re trying to find ways to make the events less difficult.”

The conditions could equal those during devastating fires in California’s wine country in 2017 and last year’s Kincade Fire that devastated Sonoma County north of San Francisco last October, the National Weather Service said. Fire officials said PG&E transmission lines sparked that fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee.

Extreme fire danger moved into Southern California late Sunday following cooler temperatures and patchy drizzle over the weekend. A peak north of Los Angeles recorded a gust of 97 mph (156 kph).

Southern California Edison cut off power to about 20,000 customers Monday, mostly in San Bernardino County to the east of Los Angeles. The utility said it was considering preventative safety outages for about another 115,000 customers in six counties later in the day.

Los Angeles County officials urged residents to sign up for emergency evacuation notices and to be prepared to stay with family or friends in less risky areas. Local fire officials boosted staffing as a precaution.

Winds of up to 35 mph (56 kph) in lower elevations and more than 70 mph (113 kph) in mountainous areas were reported in Southern California, the National Weather Service said. Officials were worried that any spark could turn into flames sweeping through tinder-dry brush and forestland.

Many of this year’s devastating fires were started by thousands of dry lightning strikes, but some remain under investigation for potential electrical causes. While the biggest fires in California have been fully or significantly contained, more than 5,000 firefighters remain committed to 20 blazes, state fire officials said.

Utility officials said the planned outages are a safety measure and understood they burden residents, especially with many people working from home and their children taking classes online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sheriff Kory Honea of Northern California’s Butte County, where a 2018 blaze decimated the town of Paradise and killed 84 people, said he’s concerned about residents in foothill communities during the blackouts because cellular service can be spotty and it’s the only way many stay informed when the power is out.

“It is quite a strain on them to have to go through these over and over and over again,” he said.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post 70,000 in Southern California to evacuate after blaze grows appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Authorities say ten children and five adults were displaced after a blaze tore through a Hemet apartment complex earlier today, Sunday, Sept.1. Although several animals were rescued from the intense fire, at least two cats are reportedly still missing and have not been located.

The only reported injury from the destructive blaze, which erupted at a complex on the 800 block of Douglas Ct., between Johnston and W. Whittier avenues, was a firefighter who had reportedly been training just prior to the call. He was transported to Hemet Valley Hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion, according to officials at the scene.

Today’s destructive blaze was the second apartment complex fire to hit the San Jacinto valley this week, after a San Jacinto fire destroyed another complex, displacing 10 residents and their pets last Thursday, Aug. 28.

City of Hemet firefighters and police officers were dispatched to the blaze around 12:30 p.m., after receiving multiple reports of a large and growing fire at the apartment complex.

When officials arrived they reported finding a two-story complex fully engulfed in flames, with thick, black smoke billowing high into the air. Firefighters also reported that the blaze had begun to spread to nearby palm trees and other vegetation and that the fire was threatening other structures.

Based on the severity of the fire and immediate threat to other nearby apartment complexes and residents, officials at the scene requested additional support; at which time all five of the City’s engine companies, along with Cal Fire and Soboba Fire department were dispatched to the scene to assist.

In total, nearly 40 firefighters from five City and three County engine companies, along with a truck company, a paramedic squad, a Breathing Support Unit and multiple battalion commanders and fire chiefs, responded to the blaze.

After confirming all the residents had made it out of their apartments, firefighters began an aggressive attack on the blaze.

As firefighters battled the blaze from the ground, from on the roof, and from high atop the ladder truck, the fire began to rip through the complex roof, at which time firefighters had to evacuate from atop the building.

Although all the occupants were able to safely get out their apartments, two cats and two dogs were initially reported missing. The two dogs were eventually rescued from the burning building; however, as of this report, the two cats were still missing and unaccounted for. The two rescued dogs were assessed by AMR for injuries and later returned to their grateful owners.

Firefighters eventually brought the blaze under control, but the complex and all the resident’s belongings were destroyed by the fire and considered a total loss.

American Red Cross officials were summoned to the scene to assist the displaced families and a bus was brought to the location to ferry the families to a temporary shelter.

Based on the severity of the blaze and the number of people displaced, Red Cross officials made an immediate, on-scene donation of $3,000 to the affected families, who reportedly lost everything but what they were wearing when they fled in terror from their burning apartments.

Community reporters Gary Rainwater from Facebook’s Hemet Valley Incidents and Robert Carter from Public Safety Incidents later reported they were first to arrive at the scene of the blaze, arriving several minutes before firefighters.

According to witnesses, rather than film the scene of the devastating fire, the two reporters sprung into action. The pair were seen grabbing garden hoses and using them to try to douse the growing flames as they spread from the apartment into the side and back yards of the property and began threatening other nearby apartment complexes.

Once firefighters arrived at the scene, Rainwater and Carter resumed filming and documenting the blaze. Theirs and other photos and videos can be seen here.

As of this report, firefighters remain at the scene of the blaze conducting extensive overhaul and mop-up operations and are continuing to look for hot spots and extinguish other small vegetation fires as they pop up.

It is unknown how the fire started at this time, and the cause of today’s blaze is still under investigation.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

Search: 15 Displaced, Firefighter hospitalized

The post 15 Displaced, Firefighter hospitalized, after blaze destroys Hemet apartment complex appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.