A brush fire erupted Tuesday in the Santa Ana River bottom in Jurupa Valley and blackened about seven acres before crews had it in view from the ground and air. The fire was reported at 11:22 a.m. near Bain Street and Limonite Avenue, just north of the Hidden Valley Nature Center.
Multiple engine and hand crews from the county and the Riverside Fire Department were sent to the scene as flames moved at a moderate rate through thick brush. By 11:45 a.m., two Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters had been summoned, though no runs had been started yet. The blaze was non-injury, and no homes or other structures were immediately threatened.
The fire burned in a dry channel where heavy vegetation can give flames a fast start and little room to stall. That same stretch of the Santa Ana River bottom is also known for homeless encampments, with debris and cooking or warming fires occurring year-round, adding to the fire risk in an area already built for rapid spread.
What still was not known Tuesday was what triggered the brush fire in the first place. Crews had a manageable start with no immediate threat to homes, but the area’s fuel load meant the fire could have grown to as much as 50 acres if it had been left unchecked.
