SAN DIEGO, Calif. (NewsNation Now) — A fast-moving wildfire in San Diego County forced evacuations for more than 7,000 residents and nearby Camp Pendleton early Thursday morning.
As of 10 a.m. CST, the fire, dubbed the Creek Fire, was 3,000 acres and 35% contained. Residents on the west side in Fallbrook were under mandatory evacuation orders from the Creek Fire.
Camp Pendleton is the largest Marine Corps training facility on the West Coast, encompassing more than 125,000 acres. More than 70,000 military and civilian personnel as well as their families live in the surrounding community.
Red flag warnings of high fire danger went into effect across a wide swath of Southern California as gusty, dry Santa Ana winds developed.
San Diego Gas & Electric notified 31,000 customers they could be shut off, although only a few hundred actually had lost power.
Southern California will have a mild Christmas Day before a chance of rain reaches a limited area late Friday and Saturday. Widespread rain is expected late Sunday and Monday.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KSWB contributed to this report.