Strong winds are fueling the Jurupa Valley fire, a challenge for Franklin firefighters

Strong winds from Santa Ana returned to Southern California on Tuesday, prompting red flag warnings for the greater Los Angeles and Ventura areas and fanning the flames of the Jurupa Valley wildfire that broke out around 8 p.m.

The Jurupa Valley fire, known as Soto, broke out at Soto Street and Sedona Drive and spread to 30 hectares by 9 p.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Evacuation orders were announced for several nearby residential streets and a care and reception center was opened at Patriot High School.

Santa Ana winds began blowing across the Inland Empire Tuesday afternoon with gusts in excess of 40 mph expected overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile in Malibu, high winds pose a new challenge to firefighters working to extinguish the Franklin fire.

The fire has burned more than 4,000 acres and was 78% contained as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Firefighters have resources in case a new round of Santa Ana winds causes the fire to start moving again.

Southern California Edison warned Malibu customers to prepare for possible power outages Tuesday evening to reduce the risk of wildfires. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, a busy road connecting Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, was closed to non-residents Tuesday afternoon due to wildfire danger and will remain so during a red flag warning, Caltrans announced.

The Franklin fire broke out on Dec. 10 amid an unusual “extremely hazardous condition” warning with humidity levels in the low single digits and wind gusts of up to 75 mph. The current red flag warning is for a moderate Santa Ana wind event, with gusts of 40 to 60 mph and humidity levels in the low, 10% to 20% range, according to the National Weather Service.

“The standard red flag warning is still very dangerous, but it won’t be very dry and windy,” said weather service meteorologist Carol Smith. “If we have a fire, we still expect rapid growth and extreme fire behavior.”

The red flag warning was in effect as of 3 p.m. Tuesday and covers much of Ventura County and the western part of Los Angeles County. High winds are forecast for Santa Monica, Santa Susanna and the San Gabriel Mountains.

At the peak of the Franklin fire, nearly 2,000 firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze. As of Tuesday, 819 workers were still assigned to the fire, which destroyed 20 buildings and injured 28 others, according to Cal Fire.

Firefighters are focused on strengthening fire control lines in the steep, rugged terrain and putting out any small fires around buildings, the agency said.