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Evacuation Orders Lifted for Mountain Town Forced to Flee Wildfire in California
Evacuation Orders Lifted for Mountain Town Forced to Flee Wildfire in California
Oct 22, 2024 8:26 PM

At a Glance

The fire was reported about 1:15 a.m. Friday.Residents in the community of Mountain Center were told to leave their homes.California suffered a brutal string of wildfires in 2020.

Evacuation orders have been lifted for a community in California's San Jacinto Mountains that was threatened by a wildfire.

Residents in Mountain Center were told to leave their homes after a wildfire broke out in dry, windy conditions early Friday morning. All residents were allowed to return thom by 6 p.m. PST Friday. At that time, the fire had about 1 square mile and was 20% contained, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

A was issued for the area by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The advisory said air quality was good, but smoke was moving to the south toward the southern portions of the San Bernardino National Forest and Anza. Smoke and ash impacts were possible through Saturday afternoon.

Electricity provider Southern California Edison said to about 2,600 homes and residents in the county.

(MORE: Current Santa Ana Wind Event Could be Followed by a Stronger Event Next Week)

The fire was reported at about 1:15 a.m. PST Friday, according to from the fire department. Trees and vegetation were burning in Mountain Center.

By 3:20 a.m., the fire had grown to about 200 acres and residents in Mountain Center were told to immediately. An evacuation center was set up in the nearby town of Banning.

A was opened in San Jacinto.

Portions of at least three local roadways were closed but later reopened.

The Bonita Fire in Riverside County, California, prompted evacuations for the community of Mountain Center in the San Jacinto Mountains on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021.

(CALFIRE/Riverside County Fire Department via Twitter)

More than 260 firefighters, including ground and air crews, were assigned to the blaze.

Warm, dry, windy conditions are fueling the fire. The region was under a red flag warning. Santa Ana winds are expected to gust up to 40 mph and temperatures are about 20 degrees above average.

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Earlier on Thursday evening, evacuation orders were issued in part of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County, where the burned about 250 acres. The blaze started about 5 p.m. but was brought under control and residents were allowed to return home.

California suffered a brutal string of record-breaking wildfires in 2020, most of them in the last summer and early fall. In all, more than of land - or about 6,600 square miles - was scorched, destroying more than 10,000 homes and other buildings. Thirty-three people were killed.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, .

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