Strong Winds Spark Wildfire on Marine Base

Several fires occurred throughout Southern California over the weekend due to high temperatures and the vicious Santa Ana wind gusts that picked up speeds close to 90 mph late Friday evening. The National Weather Service sent out a red-flag warning saying that extreme fire danger was present.

Camp Pendleton experienced a brush fire that began on Saturday and burned through almost 2,500 acres of land.

A power outage provoked by the fire forced the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton to evacuate 30 of its 61 patients to nearby hospitals.

The smoke from the fire forced 230 residents to evacuate from the family housing community on base.

Both patients and residents were able to return Sunday evening.

After three days and over 300 firefighters later, the fire was contained Tuesday evening around 6:00 p.m.

Four portable buildings and three cars were damaged due to the flames. No injuries have been reported.

Though the source of the fire is unknown, it is under investigation by firefighting officials.

Winds are predicted to subside and temperatures are expected to cool down later this week.