A brush fire that broke out Friday on a hillside east of Temecula charred an estimated 80 acres and left two firefighters injured, drawing close to a campground that was ordered evacuated, along with the immediate surroundings.
The “Pauba Fire” was reported at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the area of Pauba and Los Caballos roads, north of Highway 79, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said engine and hand crews from the county, Hemet Fire Department, San Diego County Fire Department and other agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames moving to the southeast at a moderate rate.
Multiple Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter were summoned to make runs on the brusher, which had slowed by 3 p.m.
Two firefighters collapsed while digging containment lines around the hill, suffering apparent heat stroke, according to reports from the scene. They were both in stable condition and taken to a regional trauma center for treatment.
Fire department commanders issued an evacuation order for the Vail Lake Resort as the flames approached. The order also applied to the Butterfield Lake Estates, while an evacuation warning was in effect for the area north of Highway 79, south of Avenida Bravura, east of Anza Road and west of Wilson Creek.
Searchable maps depicting the impacted locations were available at linktr.ee/calfirerru.
Sheriff’s deputies closed Pauba between Highway 79 to the south and De Portola Road to the north for public safety.
The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.