The roughly 1,500-acre brush fire in the Santa Ana River bottom near Jurupa Valley and Riverside was 95% contained Sunday, Cal Fire reported.
With relatively little active fire remaining, authorities have also lifted all evacuation warnings for properties in the vicinity of the fire.
The Bain Fire was reported at 11:22 a.m. Tuesday on the north side of the dry channel, in the area of Bain Street and Limonite Avenue, just north of the Hidden Valley Nature Center, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
As of Sunday morning, officials declared the brusher’s updated acreage was 1,473.
“Residents may continue to see or smell drift smoke in the area due to lingering activity,” according to a county fire statement. “Damage assessment and repair efforts remain ongoing as crews work to secure the incident area and support safe rehabilitation.”
Full containment of the wildfire was expected by Monday.
The heavily used Van Buren Boulevard corridor connecting Riverside and Jurupa Valley, which was shut down at the height of the blaze, was fully reopened Friday.
The Western Riverside County Animal Shelter at Clay Street and Van Buren, which was evacuated Tuesday night, with all of the animals relocated to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, was no longer under an evacuation order. But it was uncertain when the facility might reopen. The Department of Animal Services requested that residents able to temporarily foster a pet to free up space visit the San Jacinto shelter and pick one up.
Numerous engine and hand crews from the county, Riverside Fire Department, Corona Fire Department, Ontario Fire Department and other agencies were sent to the brusher when it erupted, encountering wind-driven flames moving through thick brush.
The flames spread toward groups of homes in the area of Arlington and Western avenues in Riverside, leading to the evacuation of dozens of residences around that intersection, including adjacent ones that intersect Sunnyvale Drive, Mountain High Drive, Western Avenue and Western Hills Drive.
Three residents suffered smoke inhalation injuries, while another person suffered unspecified traumatic injuries during the height of the fire. All of the victims were taken to Riverside Community Hospital for treatment.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.