A brush fire that erupted Thursday south of Highway 371 in Anza scorched about five acres before it was stopped.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 1:57 p.m. Thursday in the area of Coyote Canyon and Terwilliger roads, on the east end of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine and hand crews were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a slow rate through heavy brush amid light winds.
Three Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter reached the fire at 2:15 p.m. and initiated runs across the head and heel, slowing its advance and enabling firefighters to establish hose lays, relying on dirt roads as natural buffers.
There were early concerns that a series of afternoon storm cells that developed just east of the fire might impact operations, but they drifted south into San Diego County.
At 3:10 p.m., the fire’s forward rate of spread was stopped, and the burn zone was almost completely encircled, according to officials.
No structures were damaged.
All aircraft departed by 3:25 p.m.
The area has been ground zero for a cluster of large and small wildfires every summer over the last three or four years
The cause of Thursday’s blaze was under investigation.