Brush Fires Ignite Near Hemet, Reche Canyon Road Amid Gusting Winds

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two brush fires ignited Thursday afternoon in Moreno Valley and Hemet, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said.

Around 4:15 p.m., a brush fire ate through five acres in the area of Reche Canyon Road and High Country Drive in Moreno Valley, a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson said. Multiple resources headed to the scene to battle the blaze both on the ground and from the air. Forward progress was halted, according to reports from the scene and resources were diverted to other activity.

A second fire broke out in the Hemet area just after 4:30 p.m., off Simpson Road and State Street in the foothills on the east end of Hemet. That blaze consumed nearly 15 acres before Cal Fire aircraft significantly slowed its advance, preventing it from reaching homes in the outlying area.

The agency said multiple engine crews from the city and engine and hand crews from the Riverside County Fire Department responding to Hemet's mutual aid request were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate in open space.

Three Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters were summoned to make runs on the fire, blunting its progress and enabling ground personnel to get a partial line around it by 5:30 p.m., according to reports from the scene.

All aircraft cleared the area minutes later, except for one night-certified firefighting helicopter available for targeted drops.

Crews were expected to achieve full containment overnight. The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known.