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A smoky and fast-growing wildfire in windy Southern California on Friday has prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings.
The Springs Fire broke out at about 11 a.m. on Friday and by the evening had grown to about 14.17 square kilometres, with fire crews starting to contain it.
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 16 kilometres southeast of Riverside and about 100 kilometres 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.
The U.S. National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for San Bernardino and Riverside County valleys through Saturday afternoon, with gusts of up to 80 km/h expected.
“Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” the advisory read.
