“The fire started in Silverado Canyon, and helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are on the way,” Irvine Mayor Christina Shea said in a press release. “The wind is making it move very quickly.”
The Silverado Fire comes as the state and region are under major fire risks from hot, dry weather. Nearly 34 million people are under red flag warnings in California and the Southwest, including cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
In particular, extreme level 3 of 3 fire conditions are in place across the mountains outside of Los Angeles on Monday, where wind gusts over hurricane force are possible.
Dry conditions, low humidity and windy weather have prompted power shutoffs and pleas for preparedness as the fire season continues in California.
The National Weather Service said the winds in L.A. and Ventura counties could bring gusts up to 80 mph in the mountain areas and warned of possible power outages, fire conditions and possible delays at local airports.
Utility Southern California Edison implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) at 7:30 a.m. Monday to 3,677 customers in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Another 123,000 customers are under consideration for the PSPS as Santa Ana winds blow through the area.
SCE has 5 million customers total and they say power will be restored to affected accounts within 24 hours after the wind event is over.
CNN’s Dave Hennen contributed to this report.
Read More News: Irvine, California, issues evacuation order to about 60,000 people as Silverado Fire
