Evacuation orders have been issued in Lake Elsinore as around 300 firefighting personnel combat a wildfire that ignited Friday in a dry and brushy area, authorities said.
The blaze, dubbed the Vista fire, was reported at 4:20 p.m. near El Toro Road, north of the Riverside County city, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. By 6 p.m., the fire was mapped at 141 acres with no containment, while multiple ground and air resources worked to get it under control, according to Cal Fire’s Riverside County Unit.
Evacuation orders are in effect for an area north of Highway 74, south of Ethanac Road and east of El Toro Road, while an evacuation warning is in effect in adjacent areas. A map of evacuation alerts can be seen here.
Three helicopters, 28 engines, nine hand crews, two water tankers and two bulldozers have been assigned to the blaze, according to Cal Fire.
There are light and variable 5 to 10 mph winds blowing in the area, with gusts of up to 20 mph forecast into the evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Riverside County fire crews are also on scene at the nearby Palomar fire, which ignited shortly after 1 p.m. near Palomar Street in the city of Wildomar, according to Cal Fire. That 11-acre blaze was 90% contained by 6 p.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
