Highland Fire Scorches 105 Acres Near Beaumont; 70% Contained

BEAUMONT, CA — A brush fire broke out just south of Interstate 10 in Beaumont, spreading across more than 100 acres and prompting evacuation warnings, according to fire officials.

The Highland Fire spread across 105 acres within hours after the blaze started Friday near South Highland Springs and Breckenridge avenues in Beaumont, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

By around 9 p.m. on Saturday, the blaze was 70 percent contained, fire officials said.

Officials initially reported the fire had scorched 225 acres, but later decreased the affected area after more accurate mapping.

Engine and hand crews from several departments, including the Soboba Reservation Fire Department, were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a "critical rate," according to the fire officials.

Cal Fire air tankers and water-dropping helicopters were requested and diverted from the larger Reche Fire north of Moreno Valley that was slowing late Friday afternoon.

The flames were on the outer rim of the subdivision between Highland Springs to the west and Sunningdale Street to the east, and an evacuation order for those residences was issued shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, according to the fire department.

All evacuation warnings were lifted by 9 p.m. Friday.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

The blaze was one of three brush fires burning in the area Saturday. Read more:

• The Rabbit Fire Burning Near Moreno Valley
• The Reche Fire Burning Near The Riverside/San Bernardino County Line

City News Service contributed to this report.