A brush fire that erupted Monday in the Badlands southwest of Calimesa scorched has scorched about 1,500 acres, prompted an evacuation order and several evacuation warnings. It has also forced a road closure as crews attempted to establish containment lines with the help of Cal Fire aircraft.
The non-injury blaze, called Shore Fire, was reported at 3:23 p.m. Monday, June 15 in El Casco, a sparsely populated area near Lake Shore Drive and San Timoteo Canyon Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Hemet Fire Department, Palm Springs Fire Department and Cal Fire-San Bernardino County were sent to the location, which is on the north side of the rugged expanse between Interstate 10 to the north and the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway to the south. As of 8:01 p.m., it was 0% contained.
The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.
Three night-flying helicopters and one helicopter coordinator have been requested for tonight, according to Watch Duty, a free app that offers real-time wildfire updates by drawing from firefighters’ radio traffic and other sources.
Flames were moving at a moderate to rapid rate northward amid gusty afternoon winds, according to reports from the scene.
Two Cal Fire water-dropping helicopters and five air tankers initiated runs on the brusher by 4:20 p.m. The agency’s contract “Very Large Air Tanker,” or VLAT, usually a DC-10 or Boeing 767 capable of carrying over 8,000 gallons of water, was requested Monday afternoon.
The terrain is difficult to negotiate on foot.
Shore Fire road closures
Westbound lanes of State Route 60 are closed between Interstate 10 and Gilman Springs Road due to the Shore Fire, according to the California Highway Patrol. The closure began at 8:15 p.m. and is expected to remain in place for approximately eight hours.
Eastbound traffic on SR-60 remains open, and drivers traveling west are advised to use Interstate 10 as an alternate route.
Sheriff’s deputies had also shut down San Timoteo between Redlands Boulevard and Lake Shore for public safety.
Shore Fire evacuation orders
The following zones are under evacuation orders:
The following zones are under evacuation warnings as of 9 p.m. Monday:
To see if you are located within an evacuation or warning zone, a map is available online at protect.genasys.com or on the Genasys Protect app, which provides real-time emergency alerts.
Riverside County residents can also sign up for text and email alerts at rivcoready.org/alertrivco.
Shore Fire evacuation shelter, animal refuge
An evacuation shelter for residents and small pets has been established at Valley View High School, located at 13-135 Nason St. in Moreno Valley.
There is also a refuge for larger pets at San Jacinto Animal Campus at 581 S. Grand Ave. in San Jacinto.
Contributing: City News Service
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Shore Fire in Badlands grows to 1,500 acres, causes lane closure on 60
Reporting by Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
