Around 4,000 people were forced to flee their homes after wildfires ripped through parts of southern California on Monday.
The huge blaze raged across dry, brushy hills near the Riverside County hamlet of Aguanga - southeast of Los Angeles - about 12.45pm.
The wildfire covered more than 2 square miles of land by Monday night, fire brigade spokesman Jeff LaRusso said.
About 1,300 homes and 4,000 residents were under evacuation orders, he added.
At least three buildings were destroyed and six others damaged. No injuries were reported.
Winds of up to 20 to 25 miles per hour drove the flames and embers through grass and brush. The heavy gusts were expected to ease overnight as fire crews battled to rein in the blaze.
A large air tanker, bulldozers and other resources were called in to tackle the fire, one of the few large and active blazes to have erupted so far in California’s year-round fire season, LaRusso said.
The National Weather Service said Riverside County could see winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour through Tuesday with gusts as high as 40 miles per hour.
The weather service issued a red flag warning of extreme fire danger through Tuesday afternoon for parts of Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
