A brush fire that broke out Tuesday south of Highway 371 in Anza consumed more than 150 acres, pushing toward structures as Cal Fire aircraft worked to get ahead of it.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 12:25 p.m. near the Cahuilla Casino Hotel at Highway 371 and Homestead Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said that multiple engine and hand crews from the county and surrounding agencies were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a rapid rate to the southeast, burning onto a hillside by the time the first Cal Fire air tankers reached the scene.
A total of five tankers and three water-dropping helicopters were making runs on the brusher early Tuesday afternoon, but after another fire started in San Bernardino County, several of the tankers were diverted to it, according to officials at the scene.
The fire moved away from the casino grounds, tracking toward scattered properties, though it was unclear how many of them were occupied.
As of 2:30 p.m., no containment figures were available.
Sheriff’s deputies were summoned for traffic control, largely to contend with casual observers parking on roadsides to watch the aircraft at work, officials said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. The area has been plagued by re-occurring summertime brushers for the last several years.