Weather may aid in Aguanga brush fire fight
With the Santa Ana winds that wrung the moisture out of plants expected to die down, firefighters are hoping to make progress in the next couple of days in containing the brush fire that is burning in the rural Riverside County community of Aguanga.
The winds, blowing from the east, were pushing the flames of the Highland fire through a lightly populated area toward Sage Road and Highway 79, said Jeff La Russo, a spokesman for Riverside County incident command, on Tuesday.
Light grasses and medium-sized shrubs, flush with moisture from a rainy winter and spring, nevertheless were dried out by the heated winds within about an hour, La Russo said. With a more favorable forecast at hand, firefighters are counting on the vegetation retaining more moisture overnight, which would help limit the fire's spread.
Containment remained at 0% well into the firefight because crews were focusing on dousing the flames and not cutting lines in the land, La Russo said. The hope is the weather will allow crews to shift that focus. Containment refers to the percentage of a fire's perimeter that has been surrounded by a control line or natural barriers such as a pond that officials believe the flames will not cross.
Nine buildings, including at least one home, have been damaged or destroyed.
The so-called Highland fire was reported at 12:37 p.m. Monday at Highlands and Aguanga Ranchos roads. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had rolled through at least 2,200 acres.
Nalona Miller wrote in a GoFundMe post that her father and his wife lost the home they'd recently paid off.
“By the grace of God, my dad and his wife were able to escape just in time,” Miller wrote. “They only had time to grab minimal items, and their seven dogs, but they had to watch their house go up in flames.”
One firefighter had an unspecified injury that required hospitalization, La Russo said. He described the firefighter's condition as “stable.”
The fire prompted the temporary closure of the Aguanga post office. Customers served by that office who bring a photo identification can pick up their mail at the Temecula post office, at 30777 Rancho California Road in Temecula. Hours for pickup are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
An evacuation order was in effect for two areas. So was an evacuation warning, meaning residents should prepared to leave.
A reception and care center was opened at Great Oak High School, at 32555 Deer Hollow Way in Temecula. Large and small animals could be taken to San Jacinto Animal Shelter, at 581 South Grand Ave. in San Jacinto.
More than 300 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, along with five helicopters and five air tankers.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.