UPDATE: Keller Fire 100% Contained at 458 Acres

UPDATE 9 p.m. Aug. 29: Metal scrapping was to blame for a 458-acre grass fire that started Monday afternoon just east of Murrieta city limits, authorities said.

The fire originated at 1 p.m. at Baxter and Menifee roads, just east of Murrieta city limits and down a dirt road from Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta. It quickly grew from 1/4-acre to 458 acres by 6 p.m.

Residents from 11 evacuated homes were allowed to return home at 6 p.m., said Cheri Patterson, spokesperson for Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

Crews from the Murrieta Fire Department as well the Corona Fire Department assisted the county in fighting the fire. Firefighters were expected to remain on scene through the night, Patterson said.

Full control was expected at noon Tuesday.

No firefighters or residents were injured in the fire, Patterson said, but two homes and two outbuildings sustained minor damage.

As a precautionary measure, child care students were evacuated from , which was within 1/2 mile of the fire, according to the Murrieta Valley Unified School District website. Other students were released on time without incident.

Residents were reminded that when evacuating, they should think in P's: people, pets, prescriptions, important papers, phone and phonebook.

UPDATE 6:35 p.m. Aug. 29: The Keller Fire burning near Murrieta was 100-percent contained, officials said. Full control was expected at noon Tuesday, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County spokesperson Cheri Patterson.

The fire was fueled by grass, Patterson said, and its cause was still under investigation.

UPDATE 5:05 p.m. Aug. 29: Evacuation orders and road closures in effect for the Keller Fire will be lifted at 6 p.m., said Cheri Patterson, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokesperson.

Murrieta Fire Chief said three engines, a water truck and a battalion chief continue to assist county crews in the blaze.

Shobert said the fire remained outside city limits, though at one point early on winds had threatened to carry it northwest into the Mapleton tract in north Murrieta.

Crews remained Monday evening on a separate 200-acre fire south of Temecula on the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego County.

UPDATE 4:30 p.m. Aug 29: Fire officials now say the Keller Fire just east of Murrieta's northern boundary is 50 percent contained at 160 acres.

Road closures remain in effect at Scott Road and Lindenburger, Briggs Road and Leon Road, and Menifee Road at Scott Road.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m. Aug. 29: At least 11 homes have now been evacuated, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department and county emergency management.

The evacautions were at Briggs Road and Camino de Los Caballos and Lindenburger and Camino de Los Caballos.

Animal Friends of the Valleys were helping evacuate several horses.

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A helicopter, two air tankers and at least 160 firefighters were battling a 25-acre fire near the city's northeast border Monday.

The Keller Fire was reported at 1 p.m. at Baxter and Menifee roads, east of Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta, in an area covered by Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

Fifty horses were evacuated from an equestrian property along Briggs Road, and at least two structures were being threatened, Patch has learned from fire crews on scene.

The vegetation fire was burning at a moderate rate of speed, said Cheri Patterson, spokesperson for Cal Fire/Riverside County.

At least three crews from the Murrieta Fire Department were helping county crews combat the flames.

Murrieta Fire Chief Matt Shobert said initially that crews were having trouble accessing the area.

According to Shobert, the winds were blowing northeasterly, away from the city. Previously, they were burning northwest toward the city.

"No evacuations are imminent but we are keeping a close eye on the situation and working real hard to contain it," Shobert said.

Mike Smith, a Cal Fire spokesperson working the fire near Murrieta, said no evacuations in the county area were in place.

However, some residents on Briggs Road in Menifee were choosing to evacuate, Patch has learned.

Scott Road was closed down between Lindenburger and Leon roads, according to firefighters on the scene. Riverside County Sheriff's Department was conducting traffic control at Scott and Briggs road, and Murrieta Police Department was monitoring traffic at Keller Road.

Flames crept onto a local equestrian center, and staff members set the horses free, a firefighter said.

An earlier fire broke out just south of Temecula on Pala-Temecula Road, and had charred 200 acres on the Riverside-San Diego county line as of 2:09 p.m. That fire was also sending smoke into the valley.

Check back for updates.