A fire at the base of the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, in northern San Diego County, triggered evacuation orders on Thursday morning when the Santa Ana winds brought dangerous gusts and dry conditions to southern California.
Evacuation orders – which have already been suspended – affected 7,000 residents on the west side of the Fallbrook community and in some locations at Camp Pendleton, according to the base and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Cal Fire said the fire, known as Creek Fire, is 35% contained and burned at least 3,500 acres on Thursday night.
Cal Fire San Diego via AP
The National Meteorological Service predicted moderate winds to strong locations in Santa Ana from Wednesday to noon on Thursday.
The San Diego meteorological office said the winds had peaked and slowly weakened. The highest wind speed recorded in San Diego County was 71 mph.
Utilities proactively cut the power of thousands of customers in specific areas to prevent fires from being caused by broken lines or sparks from wind-blown debris that hit electrical equipment.
Southern California Edison turned off the power to more than 18,000 customers on Thursday. Almost 6,800 San Diego Gas & Electric customers were without power and more than 24,000 others were warned that they could also lose energy.
Camp Pendleton stretches over 195 square miles of coastal and mountainous terrain.
Peter Martinez contributed to this report.