Snake Fire Near Lake Elsinore Holds At 30 Acres, 75 Percent Contained

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A brush fire northwest of Lake Elsinore burned 30 acres and threatened a ranch has reached 75 percent containment as of 9 a.m., Cal Fire Capt. Richard Cordova reported.

The blaze was reported at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Snake and Lindell roads, near Walker Canyon, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.
Multiple engines and hand crews arrived on the ground to find flames eating through the medium brush at a "rapid rate."

"We do have ground and air resources on this incident," Cordova said.

In the air, three Cal Fire air tankers and three water-dropping helicopters began making runs on the brusher before firefighters deployed, managing to keep the blaze away from the ranch.

An evacuation warning sent to nearby residents was never activated.

The air tankers were released at 4:55 p.m., with only the helicopters in orbit of the perimeter.

One firefighter suffered an unspecified non-life-threatening injury and was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment.

Officials said that in the first two hours of the fire, two to three dozen horses ran back and forth across containment lines "in a state of confusion."

The Riverside County Department of Animal Services officers assisted with corralling the equines and keeping them away from the flames and out of harm's way.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.