A fire that erupted Monday along the Santa Ana River bottom scorched close to a half-acre of palm trees and other vegetation before it was stopped.
The non-injury blaze was reported shortly before 5 a.m. in the area of Wilderness Avenue and the Santa Ana River Trail, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
The agency said that three municipal engine crews and one Riverside County Fire Department engine crew were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a slow rate in heavy brush.
The flames extended across the Santa Ana River Trial bike path, burning for roughly a half-hour before crews completely extinguished them, according to Battalion Chief Scott Richmond.
“The fire appeared to be homeless-related,” he said.
The river bottom is rife with transient encampments, and cooking, warming and debris fires are common year-round.