A cluster of spot fires that broke out Monday along Union Pacific Railroad tracks northeast of Moreno Valley altogether scorched nearly two acres and prompted a complete halt to rail traffic before they were stopped.
The non-injury blazes were reported at 3:25 p.m. Monday in the area of San Timoteo Canyon Road and Redlands Boulevard, in a sparsely populated area known as the Badlands, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine crews from the county and Calimesa Fire Department were sent to the location and encountered a total of four fires, two of which were roughly a quarter-acre in size, while the other two were slightly less than that. They were all within 100 yards.
A Cal Fire air tanker and a water-dropping helicopter briefly made runs on the blazes, but they returned to their bases by 4:15 p.m. The fires were all declared fully contained 20 minutes later.
Rail traffic was stopped going both east- and westbound because hoses had been laid across the tracks. The railway closure remained in effect as of 5 p.m. However, it was expected to be reopened before 6 p.m.
No evacuation orders or road closures were required.
The cause of the fires was under investigation.