Evacuations abound as Highland Fire in California is fueled by Santa Ana winds

About 4,000 southern California residents have evacuated their homes this week as a wildfire fueled by Santa Ana winds threatens their homes on Tuesday.

The so-called Highland Fire is burning just over 1,200 acres in Riverside County as of Tuesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on its website.

The fire is just southeast of Los Angeles in Riverside County, which has over 2.4 million residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The department said the fire broke out around 12:37 p.m. Monday in rural Aguanga and went uncontained through the evening. No fatalities have been reported so far, Rob Rosen, public information officer for Cal Fire - Riverside County Fire Department.

Gusty winds create troubles for firefighters

The National Weather Service of San Diego, which covers Aguanga, issued a wind advisory until 8 p.m. Tuesday, predicting 50 mph wind gusts known as Santa Ana winds. Northeast winds are blowing around 15 to 25 mph, the agency said.

The agency didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Tuesday.

Those winds are expected to calm by Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service also issued a red flag warning for mountains and valleys in Los Angeles and Ventura counties that will last until about 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday due to the low humidity and high winds.

"When combined with dry vegetation and low relative humidity, elevated fire weather conditions remain," said NWS Forecaster Cody Snell in the agency's short-range forecast Tuesday.

Highland Fire map: See where the fire is burning

Contributing: Associated Press.