LOS ANGELES - A Southern California wildfire fuelled by desert winds burned 1,010ha and prompted evacuation orders for 4,000 people in Riverside County, officials said on Tuesday.

The Highland Fire nearly doubled in size from Monday night to Tuesday, blowing towards the west due to the Santa Ana winds. The seasonal phenomenon occurs when dry desert air blows towards the ocean, creating a fire hazard in Southern California.

The fire was 10 per cent contained as at Tuesday night, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said, after crews attacked the blaze on the ground and aircraft dropped fuchsia-coloured retardant.

Some 1,220 homes and 4,270 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders, with another 1,136 homes and 3,976 residents under evacuation warnings, Cal Fire spokesman Thomas Shoots said.

Officials opened one evacuation centre for people and another for animals, while those staying at a resort for recreational vehicles drove their campers to a Walmart parking lot in Temecula about 25km away.

Some people said they left the recreational vehicle park  resort at the prodding of first responders, escaping flames that later entered the site.

“I had to grab dog food and basically just get in my van and leave,” said Ms Barb Bommarito.

Mr Robert Duke, 85, said people were uncertain about whether the evacuation was necessary, but “it was made mandatory with law-enforcement cars coming around with red and blue flashing lights and broadcasting ... that we should all leave.”

The cause of the fire was being investigated, Cal Fire said, adding that the blaze was a continuing threat with several roads closed and evacuation orders in effect.

Southern California has so far had a mild fire year in 2023, after unusually heavy rainfall that included the first tropical storm to reach heavily populated areas in the state in 84 years. REUTERS