“#WillowFire in Rancho San Diego [update] Fire is still actively burning, but is generally holding at 15 acres,” Cal Fire tweeted.
The “fire’s spread has been stopped. 25 acres, 5 percent containment, one structure destroyed. Resources will be committed into the morning,” the department added in a later tweet.
The blaze threatened around 200 homes across San Diego County, according to Captain Thomas Shoots.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Office tweeted Thursday: “All evacuation orders have been lifted in the area of Willow Glen Drive and Wind River Road. The only road closure at this time is Willow Glen Drive between Hillsdale Road and Steele Canyon Road.”
Evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted for the following streets, according to the San Diego County Emergency website.
Brabham StreetWind River RoadLime RockSonnet StreetBridgehampton PlaceConcours CourtJarama CourtAspen LaneSeca StreetSawgrass StreetSea Pines RoadCongressional DriveWingfoot PlaceAugusta Court
A Red Flag warning—the highest level warning—is in effect for portions of Southern California from Wednesday through Saturday “due to gusty winds and low humidity”, Cal Fire noted.
“This is critical fire weather. Exercise caution when outdoors,” it warned.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) also warned of “extremely critical fire weather conditions” for the San Diego County mountains on Thursday.
It added: “Strong Santa Ana winds will develop tonight, with the strongest winds occurring Thu [Thursday] morning. Critical fire weather conditions are likely as winds combine with extremely low relative humidity.”
“The #WillowFire shows how quickly a fire can ignite and spread during a #RedFlagWarning,” the San Diego Sheriff’s Office tweeted Thursday, sharing a video of a public safety message on the need to prepare for a wildfire. “Don’t wait until it’s too late,” the office warned.
Meanwhile, more than 100,000 people in parts of South California have been left without power following a public safety power shutoff issued due to the critical fire weather risk.
San Diego Gas & Electric cut power for around 69,508 customers due to “high fire risk weather conditions,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
“The dynamic nature of the winds was such that we were not able to give our customers in some communities as much notice as usual,” the company added.
Southern California Edison, which cut power for 34,552 of its customers, noted: “When there is a high risk for a wildfire, we may temporarily shut off power to your neighborhood to prevent our electric system from becoming the source of ignition.”
Around 258,200 Southern California Edison customers also remain under consideration for a power shutdown.
