30 Horses Turned Loose During Brush Fire Near Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Six aircraft and more than 100 firefighters were called to an unincorporated area just east of Lake Elsinore Tuesday afternoon for a brush fire.

The blaze, reported at 2:22 p.m. near Lindell and Snake roads, had charred 30 acres and was 40 percent contained as of 7 p.m., according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

The brusher, dubbed the Snake Fire, was initially burning at a moderate to rapid rate of spread in medium vegetation, according to the fire department.

In addition to Cal Fire/Riverside County fire department, crews from Cal Fire/San Diego and Murrieta Fire Rescue were on scene.

Riverside County Department of Animal Services was also called to help corral about 30 horses that were turned loose from their paddock in an effort to save them from flames, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa. It's not clear who turned the creatures out.

There was no word on whether any of the animals were injured but the equines were traversing burned areas as well as vegetation spared from the flames, according to Cline De La Rosa.

There were no reports of structure damage.

One firefighter was transported to a local hospital via ground ambulance with a non-life-threatening injury, according to the fire department.

An update on what may have caused the blaze was unavailable.

The fire was the second in the area Tuesday. Read more an earlier blaze here: Brush Fire Destroys Vehicles, Outbuildings Near 215 Freeway