A brush fire that broke out Wednesday in Sage charred roughly 16 acres and prompted a road closure and one residential evacuation before crews began establishing containment lines.
The non-injury blaze was reported about 1:45 p.m. in the area of Stanley and Sage roads, about four miles north of Highway 371, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. It was 40% contained as of 6:45 p.m.
Multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Cal Fire-San Diego County, the Corona Fire Department and other agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames on a hillside, moving at a moderate rate through light vegetation.
Four Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters initiated a series of runs on the fire, slowing its advance, according to reports from the scene.
One house was in the path of the fire, and sheriff’s deputies evacuated the property, but there were no reports of damage. The area is lightly populated.
As of 4:45 p.m., most of the aircraft had departed the location, with crews making steady progress encircling the blaze.
A stretch of Thomas Road was shut down between Wilson Valley Road and the fire zone.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.