Sage Fire Ignites East Of Murrieta, Burns Nearly 10 Acres: Cal Fire

SAGE, CA — A brush fire ignited Monday east of Murrieta, scorching about eight acres before it was stopped. The non-injury blaze was reported just after 11:15 a.m. Monday near Sage and Intrepid roads, in the unincorporated community of Sage, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

Multiple engine and hand crews were dispatched to the location and encountered flames moving slowly through medium brush in the sparsely populated area, according to a Cal Fire spokesperson.

Firefighters hit the blaze hard. Within 15 minutes of the first report, three Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter initiated runs on the brush fire.

The air drops significantly slowed the fire's advance, enabling crews to get ahead of the flames, preventing them from damaging an outbuilding.

Roughly an hour later, the brusher's forward rate of spread had been stopped, and firefighters were establishing hose lays around most of the burn zone. Only the helicopter was kept overhead to make targeted drops.

Full containment was expected early Monday afternoon. The cause of the fire was under investigation.