A brush fire that erupted Friday on the north end of Anza — less than a mile from where another blaze broke out a day prior — scorched an acre and destroyed an outbuilding before it stalled, following water drops by Cal Fire aircraft.
The non-injury blaze was reported just after 11 a.m. in the area of Cave Rock Road and Windy Hill Lane, just east of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple crews were pulled away from the 32-acre “Howard Fire” burning to the northeast to battle the new brusher, which was moving at a moderate rate to the north amid 10 mph winds.
An outbuilding, possibly functioning as an indoor marijuana grow, was consumed before firefighters could deploy to establish a defensive perimeter, according to reports from the scene.
Two Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters initiated a series of runs on the blaze about 11:35 a.m., preventing it from jumping roads and enabling firefighters to begin digging containment lines.
The tankers ceased operations at 12:15 p.m. and returned to Hemet-Ryan Airport.
No homes were immediately threatened.
The cause of the fire was uncertain.