A burning motor home sparked the blaze shortly before 12 p.m. along California 74 east of California 371 in Anza, about 20 miles southeast of Hemet, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. “The Anza Air Attack reported a vegetation fire twenty five plus acres in size, with a moderate to rapid rate of spread, heavy fuels, with the potential of 1,000 plus acres”. Officials said one person was inside the motorhome at the time and suffered second and third degree burns to three percent of their body.
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The fire about halfway between Temecula and Palm Desert is 10 percent contained.
Now there are no structures threatened, she said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the grounds were occupied. Three firefighters were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
Caltrans District 8 said both east- and westbound lanes of the 74 were shut down in the area.
Several air tankers and water-dropping helicopters have been called to the scene in the Santa Rosa Mountains south of Palm Desert.
The fire has forced the closure of Highway 74 and Highway 371.
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CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire is in unified command with the U.S. Forest Service San Bernardino. That containment number had not changed as of 5:15 p.m.
