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Riverside County firefighters battled a brush fire burning near Murrieta on Tuesday afternoon.
The fire, which crews dubbed the Volcano Fire, was reported at around 2:50 p.m. near Via Volcano and Tenaja Road in the La Cresta area, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Firefighters say that the blaze has burned about 125 acres of medium brush and is 0% contained.
“Multiple air and ground resources are assigned,” firefighters said. They said that 10 additional engines and aircraft were requested to assist with the firefight.
The blaze is burning adjacent to the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, a popular hiking location in the area.
Aerial footage showed the fire burning dangerously close to at least one home, where firefighters were stationed in the driveway. The property was surrounded by the reddish-pink remnants of fire retardant drops from firefighting aircraft.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Evacuation orders and warnings
As of 4:30 p.m., firefighters have issued mandatory evacuation orders for:
- RVC-2145
- RVC-2146
- RVC-2147
- RVC-2197
- RVC-2198-B
- RVC-2243
- RVC-2244
- RVC-2245
Evacuation warnings are also in place for:
- RVC-2076
- RVC-20177
- RVC-2143-A
- RVC-2144
- RVC-2198-A
- RVC-2246
- RVC-2292
A map of evacuations is available here.
An evacuation shelter was established at Chaparral High School, which is located at 27215 Nicolas Road at Winchester Road in Temecula. Two separate animal evacuation shelters were established at the Murrieta Equestrian Center at 42646 Juniper Street and the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus at 581 S. Grand Avenue.
Road closures
California Highway Patrol officers closed Tenaja Road from Avocado Mesa to Avenida La Cresta so firefighting apparatus could reach the area without interference. Los Gatos and Carancho Road were also completely closed.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
