A wildfire continued to blacken at least 1,000 acres in a rural area near Golden Acorn Casino Wednesday, with all evacuations downgraded to warnings as ground and airborne crews worked to subdue the flames.
The blaze erupted at about 1 p.m. Tuesday off the 37000 block of Tusil Road, north of Interstate 8 and west of Ribbonwood Road in Boulevard, according to Cal Fire.
Within two hours, the flames, which were spreading over the grounds of Campo Indian Reservation, had charred about 30 acres and were moving toward I-8, the state agency reported.
As of shortly before 7 p.m., the burn area had grown to roughly 550 acres, Cal Fire advised. By then, crews had gotten the perimeter of the blaze about 10% surrounded by firebreaks, said Mike Cornette, a fire captain with the state agency.
The agency upped the fire’s acreage to 1,000 acres as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, with 25% containment.
Sheriff’s deputies cleared people out of homes in neighborhoods near the burn area, officials said. A temporary shelter for the displaced was available at the casino at 1800 Golden Acorn Way, just south of the freeway and a mile or so east of the fire.
For a time, the flames were an imminent threat to about 15 homes, according to Cal Fire. By late afternoon, the blaze had jumped the freeway to the south in a few spots and had damaged one outbuilding and a vehicle, but no residences were harmed, Cornette said.
No injuries were reported, and it was unclear how many members of surrounding communities were affected by the massive blaze, but most residents were allowed back to their homes.
The CHP said I-8 was shut down in both directions near the burn zone, but as of Wednesday morning, at least one lane in each direction has reopened to traffic. The No. 2 lane in both directions will remain closed until further notice.
The westbound No. 2 lane closure begins just west of Crestwood Road and is about one mile in length. The eastbound No. 2 lane is closed from Buckman Springs Road and ends about a half mile east of Buckman, the agency added.
Bain Fire tops 1,000 acres in Riverside
A brush fire that erupted Tuesday in the Santa Ana River bottom near Riverside charred 1,375 acres by about 8:30 p.m. with 10% containment. The fire expanded rapidly in the direction of homes, leaving four people injured and prompting mandatory and ongoing evacuations.
The blaze was reported at 11:24 a.m. May 19 on the north side of the dry channel, in the area of Bain Street and Limonite Avenue in Jurupa Valley, just north of the Hidden Valley Nature Center, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Verona Fire burns 600 acres near in Homeland
A fast-growing vegetation fire in Homeland prompted evacuation orders as it grew to about 600 acres on Tuesday, May 19, Cal Fire said.
One firefighter had minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, the agency said.
The fire was reported at 12:20 p.m. at Juniper Springs Road and Verona Lane. It was “burning at a dangerous rate of spread,” Cal Fire said. The blaze was about 5 acres around 12:45 p.m. but the fire agency said it had “jumped control lines” and “burning at a critical rate of spread” by 7:27 p.m.
Contributing: Desert Sun reporters Ani Gasparyan and Jennifer Cortez.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Tusil Fire burns 1,000 acres near I-8, threatens backcountry homes
Reporting by City News Service / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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