A brush fire that erupted Wednesday on a hillside northeast of the Pomona (60) Freeway in Jurupa Valley scorched roughly 30 acres on ranch property and left a firefighter injured before it was stopped.
The “Lotus Fire” was reported at 10:15 a.m. in the area of Lotus and Canal streets, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Riverside, Corona and Pomona fire departments, as well as Cal Fire-San Bernardino County, were sent to the location, encountering flames moving at a moderate rate through medium brush.
Four Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters initiated runs on the brusher that slowed its advance, providing firefighters time to block the blaze’s eastern and southern flanks.
At 3:05 p.m., the fire’s forward rate of spread was stopped, by which time all air tankers had already been released and returned to their bases. The helicopters continued to make targeted drops for close to two hours before also departing the area, according to reports from the scene.
A firefighter collapsed, possibly from heat exhaustion, and required medical attention. He was retrieved by a helicopter and transported to a makeshift landing zone, where he was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to Riverside Community Hospital for further treatment, officials said.
The fire burned upslope, away from residences, and no evacuation orders or warnings were ever needed.
The blaze was 80% contained as of 6 p.m., with full containment expected by midnight.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.