Riverside County Fire Burns Homes; Evacuations Lifted

JURUPA VALLEY, CA — Three homes and several outbuildings have been destroyed by a fire that has blackened 300 acres in the Jurupa Valley and Riverside area on Thursday. Evacuation orders issued Thursday morning have been lifted.

The so-called 46 Fire was 15% contained and remained at 300 acres as of 12:50 p.m., Cal Fire said.

All evacuation orders issued earlier Thursday were lifted as of 2 p.m., Cal Fire said, urging residents returning home to use caution and yield to fire equipment in the area.

In addition to the damage caused by the main fire, embers swept up by winds destroyed two more outbuildings and caused major damage to two commercial buildings inside Riverside City, Cal Fire said.

The fire was first reported at 12:39 a.m. in the 5300 block of 46th Street and was just a quarter acre in size when crews arrived. However, as strong Santa Ana winds whipped through the region overnight, the blaze had a "rapid rate of spread," according to fire reports.

Evacuation orders had been issued at 3:45 a.m. for residents in neighborhoods south of Limonite Avenue, west of Crestmore Road, east of Van Buren Boulevard and north of the Santa Ana river bottom, the department said.

Residents in an area bordered by Riverview Drive, 46th Street, Calle Hermosa and Rio Road had previously been evacuated. It was unknown how many residents were affected.

Click here to search the evacuation area for a specific address or home.

An evacuation shelter was opened at Patriot High School at 4355 Camino Real.

The blaze was started after a police pursuit ended in a crash that set a field on fire, according to the Los Angeles Times. The state has secured federal funding to continue fighting the blaze, the governor's office announced Thursday morning.

At least 74 firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. No water- dropping aircraft were immediately assigned.

— City News Service contributed to this report