Fire Scorches 100 Acres South of Beaumont

BEAUMONT, CA – A fire broke out Thursday near a Riverside County landfill south of Beaumont and charred about 100 acres before stalling under intense air assaults by firefighting aircraft.

The brush fire was reported just before 3 p.m. in the area of Lamb Canyon and Dump roads, just off of state Route 79, on the east side of the Lamb Canyon Landfill, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

An agency spokeswoman said 30 engine crews and eight hand crews -- numbering about 185 personnel -- were deployed to the blaze, stopping the forward rate of spread with the aid of water-dropping helicopters and air tankers shortly after 5 p.m.

At the height of the fire, six tankers and four helicopters were making runs on the brusher, as crews worked to dig containment lines in hilly, rugged terrain.

The blaze was concentrated in a largely unpopulated area, and no homes or other structures were threatened.
Containment was expected sometime Thursday evening, according to reports from the scene.

The cause was under investigation.

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--City New Service contributed to this report/Images via Cal Fire/Riverside