A smoky wildfire burning in southern California has forced the evacuation of some 500 homes in the region, authorities said.

The blaze had grown to eight hundred and ten acres by late Saturday night and was just 5 percent contained by the fire fighters, federal fire officials said. Flames were visible in Wofford Heights, located about a mile north of where the blaze was most active.

This led the authorities to pass the order for evacuation for parts of the Wofford Heights area, which is about 30 miles northeast of Bakersfield. This was announced by the Kern County Sheriff’s office late Saturday night.

The evacuations came after a day of changing conditions. The officials feared that the smoke emanated from the wildfire could cause respiratory problems for some people in the area.

The department said in an email release that the growth of the so-called Shirley Fire was prompting the measure of evacuating people from the area.

Firefighters were “basically facing very erratic, shifting winds,” said Kern County Fire Department spokesman Leland Davis

“We do try to strongly advise people to get out of the area.” Said Davis.

Davis also said about four hundred and fifty personnel are involved in fighting the blaze, which was spotted on Friday.

“It was in very remote area with some homes … kind of a popular recreation destination,” Davis said.

The cause of the fire is being investigated. There was no immediate word on when the fire started or what sparked it.