(This story was updated with new information.)
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.
Firefighting aircraft were briefly grounded earlier in the afternoon for about 10 to 15 minutes after at least three civilian drones were spotted in the airspace, said Capt. John Clingingsmith, a spokesperson with Cal Fire. It is illegal to fly drones in a fire zone.
More than 100 firefighters from Riverside and San Bernardino counties have responded, including engine, hand crews and aircraft crews.
Four civilians were taken to the hospital, including three for smoke inhalation and one for traumatic injuries. Some structures have been damaged, but the number and extent of the damage remains unclear as crews assess the area.
The wind has also shifted and strengthened in the last couple of hours, pushing the fire east, Clingingsmith said.
The cause remains under investigation.
Bain Fire evacuation orders
Shortly before 1 p.m., the flames were spreading quickly toward groups of homes in the area of Arlington and Western avenues in Riverside, leading to evacuation orders for dozens of residences around that intersection, including on Sunnyvale Drive, Mountain High Drive, Western Avenue and Western Hills Drive.
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.
Residents of Riverside County can also sign up for text and email alerts at rivcoready.org/alertrivco.
“When you know (a wildfire) is coming toward you, be ready to evacuate and remember the four Ps: That’s people, prescriptions, papers and pets,” Clingingsmith said.
Evacuation orders have been issued for the following zones:
Evacuation warnings have been issued for the following zones:
The Western Riverside Animal Shelter was being evacuated, as of 6:02 p.m., and two night-capable helicopters were requested “due to life safety and property threat,” according to Watch Duty, a free app that offers real-time wildfire updates by drawing from firefighters’ radio traffic and other sources.
Bain Fire road closures
Riverside Police Department officers, aided by sheriff’s deputies, implemented hard road closures for public safety along Arlington, between Hidden Valley Nature Center Drive and Western Hills Drive.
There was no word on what might have triggered the brusher. The river bottom is teeming with homeless encampments, and debris, cooking and warming fires occur year-round.
Where is Bain Fire evacuation shelter?
An evacuation shelter is at La Sierra Senior Center, located at 5215 La Sierra Ave., Building A, in Riverside.
Sandy Fire in Ventura County
A dangerous wildfire broke out in Simi Valley on Monday, May 18, quickly threatening neighborhoods, prompting evacuation orders and destroying a home.
Tens of thousands of local residents remained under evacuation orders or warnings for the blaze that burned nearly 1,400 acres. After a bout of gusty Santa Anas subsided Monday afternoon, the winds changed direction, pushing flames east toward communities along the Ventura and Los Angeles county line.
Another round of evacuation orders and warnings were issued. Containment inched up overnight, but the winds were expected to again pick up Tuesday.
City News Service contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Drones hamper efforts to fight Bain Fire which has topped 1,375 acres
Reporting by Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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