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Wind is fueling a fast-moving wildfire, spreading across 75 acres of vegetation in the hills above San Bernadino, California.
The fire, which has been dubbed the Old Water Fire, started a little before 2 am Wednesday morning, along Highway 18 near Old Waterman Canyon Road. The blaze was moving both south and northeast. So far, there is no word on what sparked the fire.
In an update from the Forest Service, the blaze was 0 percent contained and had burned about 75 acres as of 6 am.
Highway 18 has been shut down, from 40th Street in San Bernadino to Highway 138 in Crestline.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for many homes in north San Bernadino, including those along Arrowhead Road off Waterman Canyon, and homes in the area of Mariposa Drive and David Way near 40th Street. About 80 homes are affected by the evacuation orders.
The U.S. Forest Service and San Bernadino county firefighters are forming protection lines around the homes that are threatened.
Residents are being directed to San Gorgonio High School, located at 2299 Pacific St. in San Bernadino, which has been opened as an evacuation center.
The fire is raging only about 4 miles east of California State University, San Bernadino. The school announced on Wednesday that they it would be closed due to high winds and possible power outages.
The biggest concern over the fire is that as winds pick up throughout the day, the fire could spread to more nearby homes. The Old Water Fire is burning in dry grass and chaparral on forestland, but high winds are helping it spread rapidly.
According to San Bernadino National Forest officials, the firefighters were already struggling against strong gusts of winds on the ridge tops, some as high as 50 miles per hour.
Several areas across the Southland are under a red flag warning, as high winds and single-digit humidity are creating critical fire weather conditions. The red flag warning is in effect through 5 pm Friday evening.
In response to the elevated fire risk forecasts, power has been shut off to thousands of residents across the Southland. Hundreds of thousands more have been warned to be prepared for potential planned power shutoffs, as more high winds roll into the area.
