Riverside Wildfire Destroys 3 Houses; Santa Barbara County Fire Grows

Multiple fire agencies battle the Fairview fire in Hemet, Calif., on Sept. 7, 2022. (Courtesy of Riverside County Fire Department)

A fire that erupted in Riverside, California, July 21 has destroyed three homes and damaged other structures, according to fire officials.

Riverside Fire Department was called to a brush fire at about 1 p.m. Sunday and arrived at the location in the Hawarden area, about 5 minutes south of downtown Riverside, to find flames moving rapidly through vegetation, according to Deputy Fire Chief Steve McKinster.

About 1,500 residents live in the area around the wildfire, which had grown to about 527 acres Monday morning.

Residents living on Eagle Crest Court, Chartwell Drive, Horace Street, Hawarden Drive, Berry Road and Via Vista were evacuated but those orders were lifted by Monday afternoon. The city had opened an evacuation center at Orange Terrace Community Center for those affected.

The cause of the blaze remained unknown and is under investigation, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, better known as CalFire.

An assessment team and arson task force are onsite and conducting an evaluation of the affected fire areas, including various reports of fireworks that may have played a role, according to city officials.

Fire agencies from Riverside, Orange County, and San Diego are helping fight the fire and members of the Riverside Police force are protecting evacuation zones.

Agencies have 21 fire engines on the scene, along with two hand crews, which create fire lines and defensible space to slow the fire’s spread.

Police patrols were expected to continue in the area and the evacuation zones.

Meanwhile in Santa Barbara County, the Lake fire, which began July 5, has grown to nearly 70 square miles, making it the largest active fire in the state.

The fire is 90 percent contained as more than 2,000 firefighters continue to fight it Monday.

Fire activity throughout the state continued this week as much of Southern California dealt with another heat wave. Temperatures ranged from 90 to 120 degrees over the weekend with lows only dropping into the 70s, according to AccuWeather.

Heat was expected to continue in the interior region of Southern California for the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Thunderstorm activity is also forecast to increase Tuesday in inland areas, the National Weather Service said.