Firefighters stopped the spread of a brush fire in Riverside County Sunday night that had earlier prompted evacuations, authorities said.
The Tenaja Fire started at 11:48 a.m. near the Tenaja Truck Trail in the Cleveland National Forest, authorities said. It was stopped at 100 acres and was 25 percent contained.
“Firefighters will continue to work through the night, tomorrow and the next few days to clear and set up the rest of the containment line around it,” said Nathan Judy, a spokesman for the Cleveland National Forest.
The Tenaja Truck Trail will be closed to residents only while firefighters continue operations in the area, he said.
Evacuation orders for the area near the truck track have been lifted, as well as an evacuation warning for the village of El Cariso. The Ortega Highway, previously closed in both directions, was reopened at 6:45 p.m.
No information has been released on the cause of the fire.
2018 was a very busy year for fires in California, especially compared to the last two relatively mild seasons. This year, two consecutive rainy winters helped grasses and other vegetation grow, and a scorching summer dried out all that vegetation.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 5,435 wildfires burned 800,000 acres as of Friday, compared with an average of 5,325 fires and 550,000 acres over the same five-year period. One person died in the Mina Fire near Covelo last month.
The state’s largest fire of the year — and the fourth largest on record — is the Park Fire, which is now 78% contained after burning 429,603 acres in Butte, Tehama, Shasta and Plumas counties. Firefighters have been greatly aided by recent rains that have soaked the footprint, and no fire activity has been observed as a result, authorities said Saturday.
Damage inspectors were able to inspect areas that were previously inaccessible and learned that 709 structures were destroyed and 54 damaged.
Authorities say the fire started when Ronnie Dean Stout II, 54, pushed a burning car into a ravine in Upper Bidwell Park in Chico on July 24. He has pleaded not guilty to arson charges in connection with the fire.
