Wildomar Fire Latest: 850 Acres; Evacs Lifted; Containment Grows

FRIDAY UPDATE, 8 p.m.: The Riverside County Fire Department reports that all evacuation orders have been lifted related to the Wildomar Fire, burning south of Lake Elsinore and near the Murrieta community of La Cresta. As of 6 p.m., all roads were also reopened, the agency said.

"All residents may return home," the agency said in a fire briefing update. "Please be safe and yield to fire personnel and equipment working and traveling in the area."

The fire is estimated to be 850 acres at this time and there is 50 percent containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Nearly 1,000 fire personnel were assigned to the blaze on Friday.

"Additional resources helped to strengthen containment lines and control the forward rate of spread around the northern and western perimeter," the U.S.F.S. said. "Moderate fire activity and interior burning is expected for the next few days. Light winds at 5 to 8 mph and higher humidity levels will assist firefighting efforts. Night operations will continue for hand crews."

FRIDAY UPDATE, 3 p.m.: All evacuation warnings related to a 700-acre fire that broke out in the Cleveland National Forest a few miles southwest of Wildomar were lifted Friday, though mandatory evacuations were still in place.

The blaze was reported about 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness area, south of the Ortega (74) Highway and Main Divide Road.

It was 15 percent contained and burning in a northeasterly direction as of 1 p.m., according to the U.S. Forest Service.

No injuries have been reported.

FRIDAY UPDATE, 11 a.m.: Four schools within the Murrieta Valley Unified School District are releasing students early today due to the possibility of nearby flare-ups of the Wildomar Fire, district officials say. The Lake Elsinore school district reports that all schools are open.

FRIDAY UPDATE, 8:30 a.m.: Fire officials say the Wildomar Fire now covers 700 acres. About 200 homes have been evacuated, according to officials with the U.S. Forest Service. The evacuation orders and warnings for La Cresta, Wildomar and Lakeland Village (as detailed below) remain in place. The blaze is 15 percent contained, and so far, no structures have been damaged.

FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE, 7 a.m.: Firefighters issued evacuation warnings and orders overnight for several homes in the Southwest Riverside County area affected by the Wildomar Fire.

• RELATED: Murrieta Schools Closing Early Due To Wildomar Fire

Among them was a mandatory evacuation order issued early Friday for a portion of the La Cresta community in Murrieta west of Grand Avenue, north of Avenida La Cresta and south of Calle De Lobo, authorities said. That's in addition to a Thursday evening evacuation order for five homes on Hixson Truck Trail, above the warning area.

Evacuation warnings, which let residents know they could be ordered to leave at any time, were issued for residents in the Lakeland Village Community area west of Grand Avenue, north of McVicar Street and south of Akley Street in Lake Elsinore and Wildomar and for the gated community of Bear Creek in Murrieta, Cal Fire reported.

A warning also was issued for a few other streets in La Cresta, including Avenida Castilla, Via Caballos, Calle De Suenos, Sierra Maria Road, Vista Flora Road, Teich Lane, Valle Vista, Via Sevilla, Paseo De Flores and Paseo Chapparo.

The public was advised to avoid Grand Avenue due to traffic and emergency vehicles.

We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

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UPDATE 7:20 p.m.: Fire officials are readying for more evacuations:

“An evacuation warning has been issued for the Lakeland Village Community area west of Grand Avenue and north of McVicar Street and south of Akley Street in the Cites of Lake Elsinore and Wildomar due to the Wildomar Fire. Avoid Grand Avenue due to traffic and emergency vehicles.”

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UPDATE: Just after 5 p.m., officials announced that evacuations were ordered for part of the community of Wildomar.

"Evacuations are in place for the Wildomar community along Hixon Truck Trail," officials with the Cleveland National Forest said on Twitter. Additional details about how many people are affected weren't immediately available.

The latest updates from fire officials put the size of the Wildomar Fire at 350 acres and zero containment, as 500 personnel are on scene.

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WILDOMAR, CA — A 200-acre brush fire burning in the Cleveland National Forest near Lake Elsinore and Wildomar Thursday afternoon was sparked by a motorcycle crash, Patch has learned. The blaze was ignited shorty before noon, after a man crashed his bike while off-roading in the area, CHP officials say. Now, air and ground resources from the Riverside County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service are battling the blaze, which is sending a massive smoke plume through the region.

An 18-year-old Ladera Ranch man was riding a 2001 Yamaha off-road motorcycle in the Wildomar OHV area, about 10 to 11 miles south of the Ortega Highway, when he hit a bump on a dirt trail, lost control and crashed into a tree, CHP Officer Mike Lassig said.

"It mangled up the motorcycle and the throttle was being twisted and he couldn't shut [the motorcycle] off," Lassig said.

Meanwhile, the Yamaha was leaking fuel on the ground nearby.

"The heat coming from the motorcycle's high revving RPM caused the ignition of the gasoline which was leaking from the crash," Lassig said.

The man tried to put the fire out by hand at first, but quickly realized it was spreading too rapidly for him to control, Lassig said. He ran to his truck, about 2 to 3 miles away, to get his cellphone and then get reception to call the fire in.

"Vegetation fire within the Wildomar OHV area on the Trabuco Ranger District," Cleveland National Forest officials reported on Twitter around 1 p.m. "Currently 2 acres in heavy brush. Holding at South Main Divide."

By 3:40 p.m. though, crews reported that the fire had spread to 200 acres. No structures are threatened at this time, but fire officials say the blaze was pushing northeast and ordered 20 engines to the Lakeland Village area.

The Wildomar OHV Area is an "off highway vehicle" area measuring approximately 360 acres near the Ortega Highway, according to the U.S. Forest Service. There are more than 8 miles of trails in the area, including several single track trails. It's located south of Lake Elsinore and east of Murrieta.

As for the man who crashed on his motorcycle, Lassig said he had some minor scrapes but no major injuries.

20 additional type 1 engines have been ordered for Lakeland Village. Fire continues to push east #WildomarFire pic.twitter.com/hbfUwq8juH
— Cleveland NF (@ClevelandNF) October 26, 2017

More resources have been ordered and are en route to the #WildomarFire pic.twitter.com/1w4zgoHlFL
— Cleveland NF (@ClevelandNF) October 26, 2017

This is a breaking news story. Refresh for the latest.

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Images 1 credit: Jason Zit; Images 2 through 4 credit: Joe Fanaselle; Images 5 through 10 credit: Jason Zite; Image 11 credit: Michelle Chapel / City News Service contributed to this report