Crime & Safety
Macy Fire West Of Lake Elsinore 98% Contained; Ortega Highway Reopened
One structure was destroyed.
LAKE ELSINORE, CA — The 145-acre Macy Fire in the Cleveland National Forest west of Lake Elsinore was 98% contained by lines of cleared vegetation Saturday evening.
Some 150 firefighters remained assigned to the fire and there was no longer need for air support, according to a CalFire update.
Several Cal Fire water-dropping helicopters made drops in support of ground crews Friday, helping to stop the wildfire's progress. At one point, a Cal Fire air tanker was making drops over the fire, but by noon, only water- dropping helicopters were required for targeted operations.
The blaze was concentrated in steep terrain, inaccessible to most firefighting vehicles.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
With the fire largely concentrated in wildland and no longer posing an immediate threat to homes, evacuation orders declared Thursday evening were downgraded to warnings at 12:30 p.m. Friday and lifted that evening.
No injuries have been reported.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The wildfire was reported at 5:42 p.m. Thursday in the vicinity of the El Cariso Campground, north of the Ortega Highway, just west of Macy Street, a fire department official said.
More than 200 firefighters from the Riverside County Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service and surrounding agencies were assigned.
The Ortega Highway was closed in both directions between the Orange County line and Grand Avenue in Lake Elsinore shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday after the flames jumped the two-lane corridor and began burning along the southbound side. The highway was reopened Friday evening, Riverside County Fire Department announced.
The flames initially erupted on a hillside and made a run downhill at a "dangerous rate of spread," heading directly toward residences alongside the federal preserve, according to the department.
Five Cal Fire air tankers and three water-dropping helicopters immediately began runs on the blaze, making drops for the protection of homes in the fire's path.
One structure was destroyed.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
— City News Service
