​Dangerous Winds Linger In Region After Crews Contain Multiple Fires In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — Dangerous winds are expected to linger in the region after crews contained multiple wildfires Tuesday in San Diego County.

A red flag warning was extended until 8 p.m. Thursday for the county's inland valleys and mountains, according to the National Weather Service. The warning was originally set to expire at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Northeast winds are expected to reach 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 65 mph. The strongest winds are expected during the day on Thursday. Humidity is expected to be as low as 4%.

"If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior," the NWS said.

The Lilac Fire was the first of three fires that sparked early Tuesday morning amid extreme fire weather conditions. The blaze broke out near Old Highway 395 and Lilac Road in the Bonsall area. The fire burned 85 acres, damaged two structures and displaced 86 residents, according to Cal Fire San Diego. Evacuation orders and warnings were lifted Tuesday evening for the fire, which was 50% contained.

The Pala Fire blackened 17 acres in Pala and the Riverview Fire scorched about an acre in Fallbrook, according to Cal Fire. Both blazes prompted evacuation orders that were later lifted, officials said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Friars Fire burned three acres off Friars Road and Via de la Moda, according to Cal Fire

Public safety power shutoffs began Monday, with SDG&E cutting power to hundreds of customers in an effort to reduce wildfire risk.

As of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, 15,523 SDG&E customers were without power in communities across the county. An additional 68,102 customers were warned of possible outages.

SDG&E opened community resource centers to assist affected communities. Centers have wi-fi and charging stations for phone and medical devices.

In addition to a red flag warning, a high wind watch will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the NWS.

"Areas of Santa Ana winds will continue into early Friday," NWS San Diego forecasters wrote Wednesday. "The strongest winds are expected during the day on Thursday with northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts to 60 to 70 mph and with isolated gusts to 75 to 85 mph for the San Diego County mountains."

Also see:

• High Winds, Fire Danger, Outages Force School Closures In San Diego County
• Over 15K Without Power, 68K More Under Shutoff Warning In San Diego County
• Crews Halt Riverview Fire In Fallbrook
• Crews Battle Pala Fire In San Diego's North County
• Lilac Fire Forces School Closures, Prompts Evacuations In Bonsall Area
• Friars Fire: Evacuations Lifted, Roadway Restrictions Remain In Place