A brush fire that broke out Thursday on a hillside in Mead Valley — a quarter-mile from where another blaze occurred hours earlier — charred 6.5 acres before it was stopped.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 3:25 p.m. Thursday in the area of Tyler and Decker roads, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine and hand crews deployed to the location, encountering flames moving at a moderate rate to the east in medium vegetation, heading downhill into a riparian area.
No homes or other structures were threatened as three Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter initiated runs on the brusher, significantly slowing its advance and allowing crews to get ahead of it. The forward rate of spread was halted shortly before 5 p.m.
The aircraft immediately departed.
Earlier in the afternoon, an acre-wide fire erupted just to the northwest at Clark Street and Cajalco Road. However, it was contained in less than an hour.
No suspects were identified in connection with either fire, despite the coincidence. The specific causes were unconfirmed late Thursday afternoon.
Crews were expected to gain full containment by nightfall.