Strong winds and low humidity on Friday continue to impede the efforts of firefighters battling to control the Bond Fire in Southern California.
The fire began Wednesday night, and 25,000 people in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, were ordered to evacuate.
Captain Paul Holaday of Orange County Fire Authority said Friday in a briefing on Twitter that the fire, which spread to 26 square kilometers, was 10% contained.
“Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish hot spots, mopping around structures, and stopping the forward spread of this fire,” he said.
The fire authority tweeted that the “fire started as a structure fire in Silverado Canyon on Bond Road that fully engulfed a home.” It said strong winds pushed flames into nearby vegetation.
A resident told Reuters the fire began at a neighbor’s home as they tried to start a generator to power their home.
Southern California utility companies had cut power to more than 100,000 customers to avoid fires that could be caused by strong winds knocking down power lines. The National Weather Service had warned of gusty Santa Ana winds in the area.
Two firefighters were injured and taken to a local hospital; they were later released.
This has been the worst fire year ever in California. Fires have killed at least 31 people and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and structures, burning nearly 16,835 square kilometers of land, according to CalFire.
