Not A Gender Reveal, Just Another Day In Aerial Fire Suppression: RivCo Fire Photos

LAKEVIEW, CA —One week ago, a series of four wildfires broke out across Riverside County. All have reached or are nearing full containment as a heat wave that won't quit has settled across the region with no relief in sight, according to the National Weather Service.

Since July 14, over 9,100 acres have been burned in the county. Multiple smaller fires have also been caught in the Jurupa Valley area and the Santa Ana river bottom, as well as a series of mobile homes destroyed in the Palm Desert area. Firefighters quickly squelched all of those blazes.

On Friday, Cal Fire/Riverside County fire officials shared the latest updates in containment and acreage for the Rabbit, Gavilan, Reche, and Highland fires.

The largest of the four Riverside County wildfires, the Rabbit Fire—which ignited in the Lakeview area—has reached 95% containment as of Friday morning. Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser shared updates on the county firefight in a statement to the county board of supervisors.

"Everybody has been working hard to get these fires down," Weiser told the board during a summary of wildfire operations. "We've had mutual aid, which has really helped us in the firefights."

The Rabbit Fire, which began in Gilman Springs Road and Jack Rabbit Trail, left a burn scar over 8,280 acres in size, according to the most recent figures. During the heat of the blaze, 152 homes were threatened, but none were destroyed or damaged, according to official reports. Firefighters battled the fire both from the air and ground.

Sikorsky making it rain . @FirePhotoGirl pic.twitter.com/gZkcGL9phW
— Local_Informant01 (@LInformant01) July 16, 2023

The Rabbit Fire ignited due to a car fire, Weiser told the supervisors. The motorist was "severely burned and remains hospitalized, and their identity has not been released. No firefighters were hurt in this, the largest of four brushers that ignited over 24 hours one week ago.

Earlier today at the Rabbit fire . Watched as crews engaged in structure protection . pic.twitter.com/wXCtXBrhco
— Local_Informant01 (@LInformant01) July 16, 2023

According to Weiser's report, there has been no shortage of mutual aid during the spate of fires.

"Fire chiefs from other agencies have been asking, 'What can we do to help?"' Weiser said. "We have those kinds of relationships."

Three other fires across the county have also seen increased containment as firefighters worked to keep them under control.

The Perris area Gavilan Fire, burning since Saturday in the Gavilan Hills area, has reached 90% containment, according to officials.

Since it began, the Gavilan Fire has consumed 338 acres, and the cause remains under investigation.

In Moreno Valley, the Reche Fire, the first to break out last week, has near full containment as of Friday morning.

In that blaze, 437 acres burned since it began one week ago in the 9400 block of Reche Canyon Road. This blaze's cause is also being investigated.

Finally, the smallest of the brushers, the Highland Fire, which began along I-10 in Beaumont— at Highland Springs Avenue and Sunningdale Street, near Breckenridge Avenue one week ago—destroyed 105 acres.

On July 14, the Highland Fire and Rabbit Fire burned toward one another at 6 p.m. and filled the Beaumont sky with a thick, orange, and black cloud of smoke.

As of the last Cal Fire update, the Highland Fire has reached near-full containment at 98%. No structures were damaged, and no one was injured in this firefight.

County Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton told the board that the silver lining in the wildfire series has been that none of the brushers impacted "massive population centers."

Still, he admits that those circumstances could change amid the lengthy heat wave.

"This could be a long summer," Barton said. "There's no better time to be prepared than now. We are going to have more fires, more power outages, and public safety power shutoffs."

Is it me or does that mixture look extra pink? #rabbitfire pic.twitter.com/mXPTTJRaLJ
— FirePhotoGirl (@FirePhotoGirl) July 15, 2023

How can residents help avoid future brushers near their homes? Barton offered a few suggestions.

"Now is the time to cut that grass (to create protective space around properties)," he said.

With no forecast for rain in Riverside County's immediate future, the summer monsoon season "could begin later."

Once the storm clouds descend on the region, the office of Emergency Management is ready to aid in the host of challenges that weather brings, from severe flooding to lightning strike fires and damaged roads, as has been the case in the past.

Information on wildfire and storm preparedness is available at rivcoready.org.