Evacuations of park facility, about 20 homes ordered as 250-acre brush fire burns near Murrieta; it’s 5% contained

A 250-acre brush fire burned Wednesday in the grassy slopes of the La Cresta community, west of Murrieta, and limited evacuations were ordered, authorities said.

The blaze had been  0% contained as of 4:30 p.m., the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said in a tweet when it was measured at 25 acres.

By 5:40 p.m., the fire had reached 50 acres, Cal Fire said. By 6:15 p.m. it was measured at 150 acres and remained totally uncontained, Cal Fire/Riverside said. By 7:48 p.m. the fire was measured at 250 acres with 5 percent containment, the agency said.

At 5:15 p.m., the Santa Rosa Plateau Visitor Center at 39400 Clinton Keith Road was ordered evacuated, affecting employees there. The visitor center is part of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, which is part of the  Riverside County regional park system.

In a 6 p.m. update, Cal Fire/Riverside said there was a mandatory evacuation order for all residences along The Trail Circle, in La Cresta. The order affected about 20 homes, officials said.

In Murrieta, some residents could see the smoke and flames.

“The plume of smoke could be seen and the smoke could be smelled all across town,” said Murrieta resident Edwin Parker. He said his home is located near the Los Alamos Hills Sports Park & Rail Ranch Elementary School, miles away from the fire burning in La Cresta, He said he cares for his elderly disabled mother, and they were thankful evacuation orders had not spread to his neighborhood.

Murrieta city officials on Twitter assured the fire was not in their city.

Help for evacuated residents was available in Murrieta at Murrieta Mesa High School, where a care and reception center was set up, officials said.

A Care and Reception Center has been established at Murrieta Mesa High School located at 24801 Monroe Ave., Murrieta, CA. 92562. For more information, please contact the fire information line at 951-940-6985. #TenajaFire

— RivCoReady (@RivCoReady) September 5, 2019

The fire produced smoke that spread in the region, prompting Lake Elsinore High School to postpone Back to School Night because of poor air quality. The city of Yorba Linda commented on Twitter: “The smoke is visible from Orange County; however, there is no current threat to Yorba Linda and the Orange County area.”

Burning near the intersection of Tenaja Road and Clinton Keith Road, the fire was first reported at 3:56 p.m., said Rob Roseen, spokesman for Cal Fire. He said the fire is burning in area with heavy fuels with a rapid rate of spread.

Firefighters were dealing with capricious wind speeds, blowing east at about 20 mph, Roseen said.

“Firefighters are battling a change of direction in the wind, so that presented a challenge,” Roseen said.

The blaze prompted a heavy response, drawing 130 firefighters to the scene, along with bulldozers, an air tanker and helicopter, Roseen said.

A thunderstorm cell moved through the area just prior to the fire. Roseen said investigators will look into the possibility that a lightning strike may have ignited the fire. He said power lines were also found downed in the area of the blaze.

Murrieta city officials on Twitter assured the fire was not in their city.

Vegetation Fire – 3:56 pm Tenaja Rd X Clinton Keith Rd, in La Cresta. 25 acres and 0% contained. For more info: https://t.co/7CJAryOiKg #TenajaFIRE pic.twitter.com/5MCnf6mhp5

— CAL FIRE Riverside (@CALFIRERRU) September 4, 2019