A brush fire erupted Tuesday alongside Highway 371 on the north end of Aguanga, quickly charring close to five acres, threatening at least one home and prompting a closure of the highway as fire crews deployed around it.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 12:33 p.m. adjacent to the northbound side of the two-lane highway, near Janell Drive, roughly three miles southwest of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said that about a dozen engine crews were sent to the location and encountered flames burning at a moderate rate to the south, amid light westerly winds.
One property was in the path of the blaze, but it was not immediately clear whether the residence was occupied.
Three Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter were summoned and arrived over the brusher just after 1 p.m., according to reports from the scene.
California Highway Patrol officers shut down Highway 371 in both directions at the location.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.