A brush fire erupted Thursday alongside Highway 79 south of Beaumont, quickly scorching five acres but not immediately threatening homes or other structures as crews deployed to battle the wind-driven flames.
The non-injury blaze was reported about 1:10 p.m. Thursday on the northbound side of the highway, near North California Avenue, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said that multiple engine crews were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a rapid rate away from the highway.
California Highway Patrol officers shut down the northbound 79 and one lane on the southbound side for public safety.
Two Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter initiated runs on the brusher about 1:35 p.m., working to slow its advance, according to reports from the scene.
The area is lightly populated, and no evacuation warnings or orders appeared imminent.
There was no word regarding what might have triggered the blaze, which was roughly three-quarters of a mile north of the county’s Lamb Canyon Landfill.