[1/5] A firefighter works to extinguish the Highland Fire, a wind driven wildfire near Aguanga, California, U.S., October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake Acquire Licensing RightsTEMECULA, California, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A Southern California wildfire fueled by desert winds burned 2,487 acres (1,010 hectares) and prompted evacuation orders for more than 4,000 people in Riverside County, officials said on Tuesday. The seasonal phenomenon occurs when dry desert air blows toward the ocean, creating a fire hazard in Southern California. Some 1,220 homes and 4,270 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders, with another 1,136 homes and 3,976 residents under evacuation warnings, Cal Fire spokesperson Thomas Shoots said. Southern California has had a mild fire year in 2023, after unusually heavy rainfall that included the first tropical storm to reach heavily populated areas in the state in 84 years.

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Persons: Mike Blake, Thomas Shoots, Barb Bommarito, Robert Duke, Duke, Omar Younis, Daniel Trotta, Mary Milliken, Jonathan Oatis, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Highland Fire, California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Fire, Cal Fire, Thomson Locations: Aguanga , California, U.S, Rights TEMECULA , California, Southern California, Riverside County, Santa, Temecula, Aguanga, Carlsbad , California