A pair of fires that erupted Tuesday near railroad tracks in Jurupa Valley scorched nearly 10 acres and threatened homes and railroad tracks before crews made headway toward containing them.
The non-injury blazes were reported about 3 p.m. along Pedley Road, between 56th Street and Van Buren Boulevard, near the Pedley Metrolink station, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Multiple engine and hand crews from the county and city of Riverside Fire Department were sent to the area and encountered flames in two separate locations, within a couple of blocks.
Several homes were threatened in the 6000 block of Pedley, but the threats were mitigated by 3:45 p.m. Residents north of Limonite Avenue and east of Pedley were asked to shelter in place. The sheriff’s department activated its reverse 911 system to send messages to impacted residents.
The railroad line serving Metrolink commuter traffic and freight trains was in the path of one of the fires, and officials requested that operators approach with caution, but the tracks were not immediately shut down.
Two Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter were summoned to make runs on the brusher. About 3:40 p.m., the forward rate of spread on the blaze at the south end of Pedley was stopped, and crews were cinching up containment lines.
Firefighters were also making progress establishing lines around the other fire. Sheriff’s deputies closed Pedley between 56th and Van Buren.
The cause of the fires was not immediately known.