Firefighters continue to battle the Verona fire in Homeland, which is 0% contained at nearly 440 acres and prompted evacuations in the area on Wednesday, May 20.
CalFire said the fire was about 600 acres Tuesday, May 19 evening, but later that night said that with updated mapping it was 438.9 acres. The vegetation fire was reported at 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of Juniper Springs Road and Verona Lane. It grew quickly and the agency said it was “burning at a dangerous rate of spread.”
But around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Cal Fire said it stopped the fire’s forward rate of spread and firefighters would continue working on its containment. A few hours later Cal Fire said it had jumped control lines and was blazing at a critical rate. Fire personnel worked overnight on the Verona fire’s containment lines.
A firefighter with minor injuries was hospitalized. Cal Fire added that a civilian had minor injuries but did not want further care.
Verona Fire evacuations
Areas under evacuation order and warning are listed on Cal Fire’s website and at protect.genasys.com. The agency labels areas by zone. Residents can find which zone they live in by searching on protect.genasys.com or rivcoready.org/know-your-zone.
The following zones are under evacuation order:
The following areas are under evacuation warning:
Verona Fire evacuation center
An evacuation center is established at West Valley High School, which is located at 3401 Mustang Way in Hemet. San Jacinto Animal Shelter, located at 581 South Grand Avenue in San Jacinto, is accepting small and large animals.
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.
Tusil Fire burns 1,000 acres near I-8
A wildfire blackened at least 1,000 acres Tuesday in a rural area near Golden Acorn Casino, threatening back-country homes and prompting evacuations 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.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Verona Fire near Homeland mapped at 440 acres, no containment
Reporting by Ani Gasparyan, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
