Off-Road Vehicle Crash Triggers Brush Fire Near Lake Perris

NUEVO, CA — An off-road vehicle crash left a man injured and triggered a brush fire Tuesday on the south end of the Lake Perris State Recreation Area in Nuevo that was quickly stopped.

The crash occurred shortly before noon in the area of Bernasconi Road and the Ramona Expressway, according to the California Highway Patrol and Riverside County Fire Department.

The agencies said immediately following the accident, a grass fire broke out, burning just below a hillside.

The driver was able to safely extricate himself and escape the flames. It was unclear whether he was at the wheel of an all-terrain vehicle or another type of conveyance when he crashed in the field.

Because the flames were close to the expressway, CHP officers partially closed the road between Bernasconi and Lakeview Avenue for public safety.

Firefighters stopped the blaze's forward rate of spread at about 12:20 p.m. and were expected to achieve full containment by 1 p.m.

Less than two acres were charred, according to reports from the scene. No homes or other structures were threatened.

The driver was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment of minor injuries.