Brush Fire Burns East Of Temecula, Grows To Over 50 Acres

ANZA, CA — Crews quickly got the upper hand on a brush fire that erupted Wednesday northeast of Anza. The blaze, named the Mitchell Fire, scorched roughly 50 acres at the foot of the San Bernardino National Forest before it was stopped.

The non-injury blaze was reported at 3:25 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Bautista Canyon and Glasgow roads, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The agency said that multiple engine and hand crews from the county, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate across open space to the east, along the forest boundary.

Four Cal Fire air tankers and three water-dropping helicopters initiated runs on the brusher 20 minutes after it started, significantly slowing its advance. As of 4:30 p.m. the blaze's forward rate of spread was halted, and crews were encircling the burn field at a brisk pace, according to officials at the scene.

All aircraft departed the location by 4:45 p.m., though firefighters remained to battle the blaze on the ground. A crew of 137 personnel worked the scene with 21 engines, 2 dozers, 3 water tenders, and 4 crews, according to Cal Fire.

A mandatory evacuation order was briefly issued for the few scattered properties in the immediate vicinity of the fire, but was lifted shortly afterward, according to Cal Fire.

"Crews are actively working to contain the fire and prevent further spread," they said.

Officials said that a vacant structure, possibly an outbuilding, was damaged in the first minutes of the fire.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation. The area encompassing Anza and Aguanga, abutting the Cahuilla Indian Reservation, has been the point of origin for a cluster of minor and major fires over the last few years.