SAN DIEGO -- About 515,000 residents in San Diego County either voluntarily left or were required to evacuate their homes during last week's wildfires, the largest fire evacuation in the nation's history, officials announced Friday.

The number of evacuees was calculated by the San Diego Association of Governments, using census data and other criteria.

"While several hurricane evacuations along the Gulf Coast have been comparable in size, those evacuations often came with several days notice," according to a statement from the county Office of Emergency Services.

"The erratic fast-moving wildfires that spread through the county last week called for a rapid response from emergency managers, first responders and residents," the statement continued.

The wildfires that swept through San Diego County charred about 370,000 acres and destroyed about 1,600 homes, according to Cal Fire.