Thermal Brush Fire is 95 Percent Contained

Photo courtesy of Cal Fire Riverside

By City News Service

An 80-acre brush fire fueled by thick mulch and Tamarisk trees was 95 percent contained and fire officials expected to bring the five day-old blaze fully under control Saturday.

The fire, reported at 10:26 a.m. Monday at Avenue 66 and Harrison Street, resulted in minor injuries to three firefighters and prompted the evacuation for a time of a nearby mobile home park, said Jennifer Fuhrman of the Riverside County Fire Department.

The evacuation order was lifted at 6 p.m. Monday.

Firefighters endured triple-digit temperatures earlier in the week and a Sun Bus Transit Agency coach with air conditioning was sent to the scene to provide a place for firefighters to recover and escape the heat.

County firefighters were released from the scene Friday and the Bureau of Indian Affairs took over battling the fire.

Fire officials projected the fire would completely be out by Friday, but high winds in the afternoon complicated firefighting efforts and delayed containment, fire officials said.