IN PICS | Wildfires Raze Over 20 Homes, Force Evacuations In California

Officials claim around 20 homes in Southern California were destroyed by a wind-driven wildfire that rushed up hills near the coast on Wednesday. (Source: Getty Images)

A firefighter works to put out hotspots at one of over 20 homes destroyed by the Coastal fire in Laguna Niguel, California. The brush fire was fueled by windy and dry conditions amid California’s severe drought which has been compounded by climate change. (Source: Getty Images)

According to the government, the fire had scorched 195 acres as of late Wednesday night. There had been no reports of casualties, but officials anticipated that 20 or more homes may have been damaged, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said at a press conference Wednesday evening.(Source: Getty Images)

Mandatory evacuations were ordered and remained in effect for areas of Laguna Niguel, a community of about 64,000 people southeast of Irvine in Orange County's southern end. Residents in adjacent Laguna Beach were urged to be cautious.(Source: Getty Images)

A home still smoldering from the Coastal fire on Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel, CA. (Source: Getty Images)

The Coastal Fire's origin is being investigated. According to Fennessy, as a result of climate change, fuel beds in Southern California and throughout the West have become so dry that they are amplifying wildfire danger and intensity.(Source: Getty Images)