Another blast of Santa Ana winds Thursday prompted San Diego Gas & Electric to cut off electricity to thousands of residents in another of a wave of power outages that have continued off and on for two weeks.

A critical fire threat will continue across San Diego County as Santa Ana winds and dry conditions persist through early Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The fires come as San Diego County mountains and valleys, along with other parts of Southern California, remain under a red flag warning.

Lilac Fire initially started today at 1:19 a.m. in San Diego County. It has burned 85 acres after being active for 19 hours, an increase of 68 acres since the last update. A crew of 66 firefighters succeeded in containing 50% of the fire as of Tuesday evening.

After a pair of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County, another series of brush fires broke out later this month in San Diego County -- including the Lilac Fire which burned over 50 acres before firefighters got the upper hand.