The Silverado Fire began as a vegetation fire at about 6:47 a.m. local time Monday in the area of Santiago Canyon Road and Silverado Canyon Road, according to the city of Irvine.
"The fire started in Silverado Canyon, and helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are on the way," Irvine Mayor Christina Shea said in a press release. "The wind is making it move very quickly."
The flames have since jumped Highway 241, the Orange County Fire Authority public information officer said on Twitter. A Cal Fire incident report said the fire has already burned up 2,000 acres.
The Silverado Fire comes as the state and region are under major fire risks from hot, dry weather. Nearly 34 million people are under red flag warnings in California and the Southwest, including cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
In particular, extreme level 3 of 3 fire conditions are in place across the mountains outside of Los Angeles on Monday, where wind gusts over hurricane force are possible.
Cal Fire said Sunday that over 5,000 firefighters are working to fully contain 20 wildfires in the state in what has already been a historic fire season across the western US.
Dry conditions, low humidity and windy weather have prompted power shutoffs and pleas for preparedness as the fire season continues in California.
The National Weather Service said the winds in L.A. and Ventura counties could bring gusts up to 80 mph in the mountain areas and warned of possible power outages, fire conditions and possible delays at local airports.
Utility Southern California Edison implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) at 7:30 a.m. Monday to 3,677 customers in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Another 123,000 customers are under consideration for the PSPS as Santa Ana winds blow through the area.
SCE has 5 million customers total and they say power will be restored to affected accounts within 24 hours after the wind event is over.
CNN's Dave Hennen contributed to this report.
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