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A wildfire fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land east of Temecula, forcing about 4,000 people from their homes, fire authorities said.
The Highland Fire erupted at about 12:45 p.m. Monday in dry, brushy hills near the unincorporated Riverside County hamlet of Aguanga. As of early Tuesday, the fire had grown to 3.5 square miles (2,200 acres) and was not contained, officials said in a social media post.
About 1,300 homes and 4,000 residents were under evacuation orders, fire spokesman Jeff LaRusso said Monday. Evacuation orders and warnings remained in place Tuesday morning, officials said.
The fire had destroyed three buildings and damaged six others but it wasn't clear whether any were homes. The region is sparsely populated but there are horse ranches and a large mobile home site, LaRusso said.
MORE: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/wildfire/highland-fire-wildfire-near-temecula/509-e2a17acc-51af-4d77-8d59-cfb3228b06e9