A brush fire on the east end of Anza Friday charred 122 acres and prompted a road closure before it was contained.
The non-injury Kirby Fire was reported at 12:35 p.m. in the area of Highway 371 and Kirby Road, in a field on the north side of Anza Electric Co-Op, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Multiple engine and hand crews from the county and U.S. Forest Service were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate to the north in medium vegetation.
Four Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter initiated runs on the brusher just after 1 p.m., preventing the flames from jumping dirt and paved roads.
The fire’s forward rate of spread was stopped at 2 p.m., and it was declared 100% contained at 4:08 p.m.
Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers shut down Kirby at the highway for public safety. However, the two-lane road was reopened by 4 p.m.
There were unconfirmed reports the brusher may have started at the electric plant, but the cause remained under investigation.
Temperatures in the Anza Valley at mid-afternoon Friday peaked at 113 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.