SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire that broke out along the Big Sur coast, U.S. state of California, Friday night remained active overnight and prompted evacuations in Monterey County, officials said.

The Colorado Fire has burned 1,500 acres (about 6 square km) and was 5 percent contained as of Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The fire could be seen from Santa Cruz County. Cal Fire's San Mateo - Santa Cruz Unit responded to assist with the firefighting operations, officials said on Twitter.

The area where the fire is burning has "little or no fire history," the National Weather Service said, adding that a wildfire in January, especially after a couple of wet winter months, is "pretty surreal."

The blaze broke out during a wind event that brought strong winds to the Bay Area region, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle.