Temecula Fire: See Tornado Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Warning Map

TEMECULA, CA — Forward progress was halted on a brush fire that ignited in the De Luz area west of the I-15 in Temecula on Wednesday afternoon. The blaze briefly threatened homes and businesses, triggering evacuation orders on the hill and evacuation warnings in Old Town Temecula below.

The blaze, named the Tornado Fire, sparked near the intersection of Via Tornado and Via Santa Rosa, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokesperson Tawny Castro. "Multiple air and ground resources are responding to the vegetation fire, which has smoke showing," she told Patch.

By 1:45 p.m., Old Town Temecula's Evacuation Warnings from the ridge to the I-15 freeway were rescinded, and the area near Via Tornado and Via Santa Rosa was returned to Evacuation Warnings, according to Cal Fire.

The fire quickly grew to 12 acres, burning upslope and hung up on a ridge with a potential for 100 acres, according to first responders at the scene.

Three air-tankers circled the area as of 12:20 p.m., arriving from Hemet Ryan Airfield and other locations, to douse the blaze and gain containment.

No other information on the cause of the blaze was immediately available.