A brush fire that erupted Friday on a hillside west of Hemet charred roughly 15 acres before it was stopped.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 2:50 p.m. Friday in the area of Stetson Avenue and Winchester Road, 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 moderate rate up the hill, not threatening any structures.
Two Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters based at Hemet-Ryan Airport less than five miles away reached the location within a few minutes and initiated runs that slowed the brusher’s advance.
As of 3:45 p.m., the fire’s forward rate of spread was stopped, and the tankers headed back to the airport, while the choppers remained to make targeted drops at the direction of ground personnel, according to reports from the scene.
No roads were closed, and no evacuation orders were implemented.
Officials at the scene said several people shooting firearms, possibly for target practice, were spotted in the immediate vicinity of where the flames started. They fled before crews arrived.
The fire was expected to be fully contained before nightfall.