A brush fire that broke out near the interchange of the Riverside (91) Freeway and Corona (71) Expressway on the west end of Corona that scorched 21 acres and threatened homes before Cal Fire aircraft slowed it down, was 75% contained Saturday.
As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the Corona Fire Department reported that Palisades Drive was reopened and that all evacuation warnings were lifted. “Crews remain on scene working on full containment,” fire officials said.
The non-injury Green Fire was reported at 4:20 p.m. Friday on the eastbound side Riverside Freeway, possibly in a homeless encampment between the freeway and Palisades Drive, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine crews from the county and Corona Fire Department converged on the location a short time later, encountering flames moving at a moderate rate to the southeast.
Five Cal Fire air tankers and three water-dropping helicopters began runs by 5:30 p.m. Friday, significantly slowing the blaze as it approached several properties on Nutmeg Drive. Firefighters set up a defensive perimeter that prevented damage to the homes.
The blaze was just a few miles south of where the 120-acre Euclid Fire in San Bernardino County crossed the Corona Expressway before being stopped Wednesday.