Wildfire Breaks Out On Hillside Near Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, CA - A brush fire burned about five acres in the hills on the north end of Lake Elsinore on Wednesday afternoon, after a vehicle fire sparked the vegetation, the Riverside County Fire Department reports.

The blaze was reported just after noon in the area of Lindell and Walsh roads, according to April Newman of the Riverside County Fire Department.

"The first arriving unit reported one vehicle, well involved in fire, with extension into the vegetation," she said. "The fire is approximately five acres and burning at a slow rate of spread."

Engine and hand crews encountered flames racing up a hillside into thick brush. A battalion chief immediately requested air tankers and water- dropping helicopters to make drops on the fire, which he estimated could spread to 100 acres if unchecked. A total of 60 firefighters were sent to the scene, reports showed.

The wildfire was not immediately threatening any homes or other structures and by 2 p.m. air resources were released from the scene, according to Newman. Ground crews were expected to remain at the location until about 4 p.m.

The brusher was within two miles of the foot of the Cleveland National Forest, where U.S. Forest Service strike teams are continuing to mop up and knock down flare-ups from the 23,000-acre Holy Fire.

— City News Service contributed to this report / Images courtesy Riverside County Fire Department