Fires break out amid windy conditions in Riverside County

Two new fires started in Riverside County amid Santa Ana winds, sparking new evacuations in Southern California.

The Scout fire was burning near Mission Boulevard and Crestmore Road in Jurupa Valley, and the second fire was burning in Hemet near Warren Road and Esplanade Avenue, Riverside County fire officials said.

The Scout fire had burned two acres as of 1 p.m. and had the potential to burn five, according to Riverside Fire Department Division Chief Michael Staley. The blaze began around 12:03 p.m. in the Santa Ana River bottom.

No structures were threatened and 13 units were deployed to fight the fire, Staley said. Helicopters were also conducting water drops. The fire wasn’t contained as of 1:15 p.m.

An evacuation order that was issued for Mt. Rubidoux Park, a mountain which is just west of downtown Riverside, was lifted later in the afternoon. Riverside Community Hospital is about half a mile southeast of the park, and the historic Mission Inn Hotel is about four-fifths of a mile away.

The Stone fire that burned in Hemet was contained around 1:10 p.m. and began around noon, according to Hemet fire officials.

A red flag warning is in effect for all of the Inland Empire extending to the Riverside and San Bernardino County mountains until Wednesday at 6 p.m., according to National Weather Service meteorologist Sebastian Westerink. Winds were gusting at 30 to 40 mph in some areas near the Banning Pass and the Fontana and Rialto areas north of Riverside.

Strong winds, combined with low humidity around 10% and critically dry fuel, have created severe fire weather conditions for Tuesday going into Wednesday, Westerink said.

“The vegetation hasn’t seen much precipitation in about eight months,” he added.