Mecca School Evacuated Amid Brush Fire

MECCA, CA — Firefighters battled a vegetation fire in Mecca Wednesday that burned 15 acres, caused a brief power outage and prompted Mecca Elementary School to voluntarily evacuate due to smoke in the area.

Fire crews responded around 9:10 a.m. Wednesday near Lincoln Street and 64th Avenue to a report of a vegetation fire, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

"Firefighters are currently on scene of a vegetation fire burning thick in vegetation," fire officials said in a statement at 9:53 a.m. "The fire is currently 3 acres and burning with a moderate rate of speed."

The fire grew to six acres shortly after 10 a.m. and to 15 acres with no containment by 11:20 a.m.

The Imperial Irrigation District alerted the public at 10:48 a.m. that an outage had affected 198 of its customers from Lincoln Street to Fourth Avenue. Power was restored to all but one customer within an hour.

Power lines were de-energized in the area, and the Riverside County Emergency Management Department worked to establish a cooling center for residents affected by the outage, fire officials said.

The forward rate of the fire was stopped at 3:30 p.m. as firefighters had the flames 20% contained.

No evacuation orders were issued, though the school, located a little less than a mile from the fire, had students leave anyway due to the smoke.