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View Winners → Fire Aug 11, 2023
A helicopter drops water on the Rock Fire near Lake Perris. | Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Fire Department/X
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A week after the Bonny Fire near Aguanga blackened 2,322 acres of desert wilderness, a number of smaller fire incidents took place throughout Riverside County as of Friday.
Fire erupts along freeway retaining wall in Riverside
A fire that broke out Friday in shrubbery alongside the Riverside (91) Freeway just west of downtown Riverside damaged a retaining wall and briefly threatened properties before crews knocked it down.
The noninjury blaze was reported at 5:30 a.m. in the area of Adams Street and the 91, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst said that five engine crews and a truck company, numbering about 20 personnel, were sent to the location and encountered flames raging in ivy spread along the wall, threatening to move into a residential area.
Firefighters deployed hose lines through an apartment complex and stopped the fire from moving beyond the wall, Vanderhorst said.
No freeway lanes were impacted.
The blaze was completely contained less than 30 minutes later.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Lake Perris State Recreation Area blaze burns 532 acres
A brush fire that erupted on the southeast end of the Lake Perris State Recreation Area and burned 532 acres was fully contained Thursday.
The noninjury blaze was reported at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday near the landmark known as Pictograph Rock, along the Loop Trail, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Multiple engine and hand crews from the county and other agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames amid rugged terrain.
Officials at the scene estimated the blaze to be about 150 acres as of 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Cal Fire water-dropping helicopters and air tankers slowed the fire’s advance by 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, laying down sufficient retardant to enable crews to begin establishing tentative containment lines.
Winds were pushing the flames to the southeast, but by late afternoon Wednesday, airflows were abating, reducing the fire’s momentum.
Several roads going into Lake Perris were shut down by sheriff’s deputies and park rangers for public safety.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Fire burns eight mobile homes near Desert Hot Springs
Fire engulfed eight mobile homes in Desert Hot Springs Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries.
Fire crews responded at 3:54 p.m. to the 17000 block of North Indian Canyon Drive to a report of a residential structure fire, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
By 4:30 p.m., an official with the agency said that four mobile homes were involved. Crews from the Cathedral City and Palm Springs fire departments responded to the scene to assist with the blaze.
About 15 minutes later, however, fire officials said eight mobile homes were “fully involved in fire.”
“Due to heavy wind conditions, multiple additional resources responding,” fire officials said.
North Indian Canyon Drive was closed for water lines as fire crews battled the flames, according to the CHP.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Youths suspected of setting fire in Eastvale neighborhood
Three boys allegedly set an outbuilding aflame in an Eastvale neighborhood, destroying the structure but not causing any injuries, authorities said Thursday.
The alleged arson occurred about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 7600 block of Soaring Bird Court, near Cactus Flower Street, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Sgt. Art Mendez said that witnesses spotted the youths, whose ages and identities were not disclosed, playing with fire, prompting calls to 911.
Patrol deputies reached the location moments later and “discovered a small structure engulfed in flames,” Mendez said.
Deputies caught sight of the three juveniles “running from the scene” and requested assistance from a sheriff’s helicopter crew to find them, according to the sergeant.
The youths were taken into custody without incident a short time later.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire.
“The structure … (was) completely charred and a total loss,” Mendez said.
The suspects were booked into Riverside Juvenile Hall on suspicion of arson and conspiracy.
Along with sheriff’s personnel, Cal Fire prevention officers are handling the investigation.
Firefighters battle brush fire near I-10 south of Whitewater
Firefighters battled a small brush fire Tuesday on Highway 111 south of Interstate 10.
Fire crews responded to the blaze at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol. CHP officials said the fire was located near Snow Creek Canyon Road.
By 4:30 p.m., the fire had burned approximately three acres on the westbound lanes of Highway 111 as fire units worked to extinguish the flames, Palm Springs Fire Captain Nathan Gunkel told City News Service.
“Nine fire apparatus from PSFD, Cal Fire and (Bureau of Land Management) with 30 personnel are on scene extinguishing the fire,” Gunkel told CNS. “No injuries to firefighters are reported and the fire will be under investigation.”
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Man displaced from Palm Springs home due to fire
A man was displaced from his residence in Palm Springs early Tuesday when it became fully engulfed in flames.
Fire crews responded at 4:03 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a structure fire in the 2700 block of Cardillo Avenue, according to the Palm Springs Fire Department.
“First arriving fire unit reported a fully involved single story, single family residence and initiated a(n) aggressive fire attack,” Palm Springs fire officials wrote in a statement. “The occupant met fire crews outside the residence and stated they were the sole occupant.”
The residence was searched two times and firefighters confirmed that there were no additional occupants, according to officials. A total of 24 firefighters worked to contain the flames.
The homeowner was displaced from his residence, which sustained significant fire damage, officials said. He was put in contact with American Red Cross.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
