Thousands evacuated amid California fires

Firefighters are enveloped in smoke as they battle a blaze in Yorba Linda, California on Monday (Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register/AP)

Fast-moving wildfires forced evacuation orders for more than 100,000 people and seriously injured two firefighters in Southern California on Monday as powerful winds across the state prompted power to be cut to hundreds of thousands to prevent utility equipment from sparking new blazes.

A smoky fire exploded in size to more than 11 square miles after breaking out around dawn in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.