A brush fire that erupted Wednesday just northeast of Lake Elsinore scorched nearly 30 acres before Cal Fire air operations significantly slowed its advance.
The non-injury Toro Fire was reported at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday in the area of El Toro and Lindell roads, about a mile east of Interstate 15, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine and hand crews were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate amid breezy conditions.
Four Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter reached the location a short time later and initiated a series of runs on the brusher that slowed its momentum as it approached dirt roads, providing natural fire breaks, according to reports from the scene.
No homes or other structures were immediately threatened in the sparsely populated area, and no road closures were announced.
The sundowner winds were expected to abate by 7:30 p.m., likely enabling crews to make further progress encircling the brusher.
There was no word on what might have triggered the blaze.