Firefighters are getting control of a brush fire that’s burned 4,176 acres in Moreno Valley, with containment increasing to 45% Saturday.
The Springs Fire was reported at about 11 a.m. Friday in the 15900 block of Gilman Springs Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The blaze was initially estimated at roughly 5 acres but quickly spread, growing to 4,176 acres by 10 p.m. Friday, officials said.
Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for multiple areas, and an evacuation shelter was opened at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley. Animals were being received at the San Jacinto Animal Shelter.
Evacuation zone information is available at protect.genasys.com/fullscreenMap?z=11.408434606993993&latlon=33.879894 41064421%2C-117.11772989696317.
“The winds sting down last night really helped our firefighters make good progress on the fire, which is why we’re now at 45% containment,” Cal Fire spokeswoman Terra Fernandez told KTLA5 on Saturday morning. “We’re still at 4,176 acres, so we haven’t grown at all, so that’s great. The humidity increasing last night really helped. We are expected to have strong gusts of wind today, but hopefully we can still mitigate that threat and contain the fire.”
Fernandez said Saturday’s plan of attack included early air drops and hand crews working to strengthen containment lines.
She added that officials were assessing all the evacuation orders and warnings and “looking to downgrade here shortly.”
As of 4 p.m. Friday, crews were reporting the fire was only a couple hundred yards from structures in the Championship Drive area, but officials said Saturday morning that no structures had been damaged or destroyed.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, and no injuries were reported.