A brush fire that broke out Thursday on the east end of Temecula burned 33 acres and threatened ranches until Cal Fire aircraft blunted its progress.
The non-injury blaze was reported about 3:30 p.m. in the 44700 block of Frogs Leap Street, near Butterfield Stage Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine and hand crews from the county, as well as Murrieta Fire & Rescue, were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate through high grass amid mild northwest winds.
Ranch properties and vineyards were in the path of the brusher, but four Cal Fire air tankers and three water-dropping helicopters initiated a series of runs that slowed the fire sufficiently to enable crews to establish tentative containment lines.
An evacuation warning impacting the scattered properties in the area was expected to be cancelled by nightfall.
At 5:20 p.m., all air tankers were released and returned to their bases at Hemet-Ryan Airport and San Bernardino International Airport, leaving the helicopters to continue supporting ground crews with targeted drops.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.