A fire that erupted Thursday in the Santa Ana River bottom in Riverside charred about an acre before it was stopped.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 3:40 p.m. near the intersection of Market and Rivera streets, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
The agency said that multiple engine crews were sent to the location and encountered flames expanding at a slow rate in heavy vegetation.
Crews established containment lines within a half-hour, confining the fire to a space between two sand bars in the mostly dry riverbed, according to reports from the scene.
It was declared under control at 4:30 p.m.
There was no immediate word on what might have sparked the blaze.
The river bottom is dotted with homeless encampments, where warming and cooking fires are regularly lit by the inhabitants.