A brush fire that broke out Friday on a hillside east of Temecula charred 20 acres in less than an hour but was not posing an immediate threat to homes or other structures.
The non-injury “Pauba Fire” was reported at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the area of Pauba and Los Caballos roads, north of Highway 79, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said that multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Hemet Fire Department, San Diego County Fire Department and other agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate upslope.
Four Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter were summoned to make runs on the brusher, but as of 2:15 p.m., they hadn’t arrived.
Officials at the scene said that if the blaze went unchecked, it could eventually spread to 1,000 acres.
Sheriff’s deputies shut down Pauba between Highway 79 to the south and De Portola Road to the north as a public safety precaution.
No evacuation orders or warnings appeared imminent.
The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.