The slow-moving 5,222-acre brush fire burning in a federal preserve on the southern tip of Riverside County, along the boundary with San Diego County, is now 39% contained, authorities said Saturday.
Full containment was expected by Wednesday, the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said.
“Overnight firefighters continued to make progress while strengthening and reinforcing control lines around the fire,” agency officials said. “Cal Fire and Riverside County officials will continue to conduct damage inspections throughout the fire area. Residents may continue to see hot spots within the interior of the fire as crews work throughout the day.”
The public was advised to use caution near the perimeter of the fire.
Officials previously confirmed the fire was triggered by a faulty electrical panel on private property.
“Cal Fire peace officers, after an origin and cause investigation, determined the cause of the Nixon Fire was electrical, caused by a privately owned electrical panel,” according to an agency statement released Friday.
The fire destroyed six structures, and prompted an evacuation order for the scattered homes south of Highway 371, north of the county line, west of Terwilliger Road and east of Foolish Pleasure Road.
No injuries were reported.
Evacuation warnings were also in place in parts of Riverside and San Diego counties and Bradford Road at Highway 371 remained closed as of Saturday morning.
At its peak, an estimated 1,783 structures were threatened. As of late Friday, the fire was no longer threatening any homes or other structures situated within the Beauty Mountain Wilderness, which is maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
A temporary evacuation center was established at Hamilton High School, 57430 Mitchell Road in Anza, with staffers available to assist with animals.
People needing after-hours help with animal evacuations should call 951-358-7387.
The blaze erupted at about 12:30 p.m. Monday in the area of Richard Nixon Boulevard and Tule Peak Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
More than 1,000 personnel were battling the blaze, including county fire crews, Cal Fire-San Diego County crews and BLM firefighters.