A brush fire that broke out Wednesday in Mead Valley consumed about 55 acres and threatened homes before Cal Fire aircraft slowed it down, enabling crews to begin establishing tentative containment lines.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 4:08 p.m. in the area of Day Street and Cajalco Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
According to the agency, multiple county engine and hand crews, as well as several helicopter-borne strike teams, and crews from the Hemet and Riverside fire departments were sent to the location and encountered flames “moving at a critical rate” through medium brush amid stiff southwesterly winds.
Firefighters immediately deployed to establish protective screens around properties in the path of the brusher. No homes or other structures were damaged as of 5:30 p.m.
Four Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters made a series of runs on the brusher, closing off its eastern flank and blunting its forward progress, allowing crews to begin digging containment lines.
No evacuation orders were pending as of 5:30 p.m., and there was no word on what might have triggered the fire.