A brush fire that erupted Thursday on the north end of Anza, at the foot of the San Bernardino National Forest, scorched roughly 10 acres before drops by Cal Fire aircraft slowed it down.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 12:12 p.m. Thursday in the area of Howard and Old Ranch roads, two miles north of Highway 371, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said that multiple engine and hand crews from the county, along with U.S. Forest Service personnel, were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate to the north with three to four structures threatened.
It was unclear whether they were outbuildings or residences.
Four Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters initiated runs on the brusher around 12:45 p.m., significantly slowing its progress, enabling ground crews to begin digging tentative containment lines and shoring up defensive positions near the structures, according to reports from the scene.
The choppers were making bucket dips at nearby Lake Riverside.
There was no immediate word regarding what might have triggered the blaze.