A brush fire was burning Thursday in Laguna Beach, prompting evacuation orders and warnings for some communities with multimillion-dollar homes in the area.
The fire was reported at around 4:10 a.m. and spread quickly throughout the hillside area near Pacific Coast Highway.
A short time later, the city of Laguna Beach issued an “immediate evacuation order” for the communities of Irvine Cove, Emerald Bay, and also issued an evacuation warning for the North Laguna area.
A portion of Pacific Coast Highway was closed, according to broadcast reports.
Laguna Beach is in a wind advisory and the fire is being driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, CBS 2 reported.
“It doesn’t appear to have involved any homes yet, fortunately,” Bob Caldwell, a Emerald Bay resident told CBS 2. ”The real threat is the wind.”
Fire crews from the Orange County Fire Authority were responding to the fire, which was estimated at 7 acres as of 6:30 a.m.
The massive hillside blaze has forced the cancellation of classes Thursday at El Morro Elementary School and in the Laguna Beach Unified School District, CBS 2 reported.