A wildfire erupted Wednesday on a hillside just south of Riverside, scorching about three acres and threatening homes as crews deployed to the location.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 1:20 p.m. in the area of Mockingbird Canyon Road and Van Buren Boulevard, just beyond the southern edge of the Riverside city limits and about a mile northeast of Lake Mathews, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Multiple crews from the county and city were sent to the location and encountered flames burning at a moderate rate through heavy brush, within a few hundred yards of several homes, according to reports from the scene.
A battalion chief said the fire had the potential to expand to 50 acres.
Several Cal Fire air tankers were summoned to make runs on the brusher.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.