90,0000+ Under Evacuation Orders; California Utility Says It May Have Sparked Blaze

A power company in southern California says its equipment may have sparked a fast-moving wildfire that has forced evacuation orders for around 100,000 people and seriously injured two firefighters.

The Silverado fire sparked early in Orange county on Monday, quickly jumping a highway and exploding to 4,000 acres.

The fire had doubled in size within two hours, with strong wind gusts pushing flames along brushy ridges in Silverado canyon toward thousands of homes.

In total, 20,000 homes in the city of Irvine, 40 miles south-east of downtown Los Angeles, have been evacuated, according to firefighters.

In a report to the state Public Utilities Commission, Southern California Edison said it was investigating whether its electrical equipment caused the blaze. The brief report said it appeared that a “lashing wire” that tied a telecommunications line to a support cable may have struck a 12,000-volt conducting line above it, and an investigation was under way.