Two active wildfires in Riverside County on Thursday have burned more than 3,100 acres, threatening thousands of structures and prompting evacuations.
The Wolf Fire in Banning grew to 2,414 acres by Tuesday morning, with firefighters achieving 55% containment and maintaining that acreage Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire. The fire started Sunday just after 3 p.m. near Old Banning Idyllwild Road and Wolfskill Truck Trail.
Road closures and evacuation orders and warnings remained in effect for an area south of the 10 Freeway and east of State Route 79. State Route 243 runs through areas subject to mandatory or possible evacuation.
“Cooler temperatures and higher humidity (Monday) night allowed firefighters to secure the majority of Highway 243 and the southern part of the fire that was threatening our forest,” San Bernardino National Forest officials reported Tuesday.
Crews were contending with “steep, rugged terrain,” according to the Riverside County Fire Department, which is affiliated with the state agency Cal Fire.
“Firefighters worked hard reinforcing current containment lines,” Cal Fire reported Tuesday night. “Despite the steep and rocky terrain, the ongoing efforts of ground forces lead to increased containment. Unburned pockets of vegetation inside the perimeter continue to burn, producing some smoke. The anticipated weather changes will make favorable conditions for ground forces improving and extending containment lines throughout the night.”
A Thursday morning update from Cal Fire reported, “Overnight crews were able to gain more control in the steep and rugged terrain and extend further into the fire’s interior. Over the next couple days, crews will continue operations increasing the containment line while searching for hot spots. The weather will be closely monitored as we approach the weekend, but it is not expected to hamper operations on the fire.”
Numerous air tankers from throughout the state flew firefighting missions.
Personnel fighting the blaze totaled 1,098 Wednesday morning, with 31 crews, 100 engines, 9 dozers and 15 water tenders, according to Cal Fire. The next day, 969 people were involved in the firefight along with 28 crews, 67 engines, 15 dozers and 14 water tenders.
An evacuation shelter was established at Hemet High School, 41701 Stetson Ave., and a shelter for animals is at the county’s San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, 581 S. Grand Ave.
Three firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
No structures were damaged as of Wednesday morning, but 4,261 were threatened, Cal Fire reported. On Thursday, the number of threatened structures plummeted to 276.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Juniper Fire
The Juniper fire in Mead Valley had consumed 756 acres as of Wednesday morning, with containment jumping from 30% Tuesday to 95%, officials said. All evacuation warnings and orders were lifted. Containment and acreage were unchanged Thursday morning.
The blaze damaged several rural structures after starting around 11:20 a.m. Monday south of Ann Way and Juniper Road.
Numerous engine and hand crews from Riverside County, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other agencies Tuesday were battling the fire that was moving at a moderate rate in light brush to the southeast, according to Cal Fire. Crews managed to stop the fire’s forward progress and begin establishing containment lines.
“Firefighters worked throughout (Monday) night to strengthen containment lines, and will continue their work throughout today,” according to a fire department update Tuesday morning.
Mandatory evacuations were issued for residents north of Rocky Hills Road, south of Orange Avenue, west of Forrest Road and east of El Nido Road before the order was lifted later Monday. The now-lifted evacuation warnings were for areas north of Eucalyptus Avenue, west of Highway 74, east of Post Road and south of Ellis Avenue.
A center for evacuees was established at Citrus Hill High School, 18150 Wood Road in Perris.
Two outbuildings were reportedly destroyed in the fire, but no homes.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury and was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment.
Personnel involved in the firefight Tuesday totaled 165, including six hand crews, 15 engines, four water tenders and two bulldozers. On Wednesday just 15 crews and five engines remained, reducing even further Thursday to one engine and three firefighters remaining in the area to patrol the fire line.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Monday, the fire divided into two heads pushing to the southeast and crossing into Good Hope, while winds were at 10 to 15 mph with 20 mph gusts, officials said. But by 4 p.m., firefighters stopped the entire blaze’s forward spread.
Five Cal Fire air tankers departed the area by 4:30 p.m. Two water-dropping helicopters remained overhead, making targeted drops, mostly on minor spot fires that were cropping up outside the primary blaze.
Firefighters from Corona and Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras, San Bernardino and San Diego units assisted Riverside County firefighters.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Updated July 3, 2025, 9:49 a.m.
