City News Service UPDATE: 6am, March 4, 2022
LAKE ELSINORE (CNS) – A wildfire that broke out in the Cleveland
National Forest near the Riverside-Orange County line was 50% contained,
holding steady at 553 acres.
“There’s been no growth,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve
Concialdi told City News Service Thursday. “Crews did great work all day in
rugged terrain. We’re expecting to expand containment further by (Friday)
morning.”
Concialdi said that about 250 U.S. Forest Service, OCFA and Riverside
County firefighters continue to work to encircle the brush fire. He anticipated
that the wet weather moving into the region Thursday night and Friday would
accelerate the containment effort.
Crews assisted by bulldozers have been working to widen the
containment zone, relying on three water-dropping helicopters and assorted Cal
Fire air tankers during the daylight hours.
No homes or other structures have been threatened.
The Jim Fire broke out at approximately 11:20 a.m. Wednesday in the
Trabuco Ranger District in the Holy Jim Canyon area, according to the National
Wildfire Coordinating Group. USFS firefighters responded with fire engines,
hand crews and air resources.
The fire started in a drainage bottom and spread uphill, according to
officials. One firefighter was injured Wednesday by a bee sting, but was back on
the line Thursday, Concialdi said.
The blaze sent a thick plume of smoke into the air, visible across
most of Orange and Riverside counties and northern San Diego County.
That prompted a flurry of 911 calls, many originating from Lake
Elsinore and Corona. The Corona Fire Department posted statements on social
media assuring residents that the vegetation fire is “not a threat to
Corona.”
The OCFA posted similar messages, insisting the flames were not
presenting a threat to Orange County.
The blaze was initially moving slowly toward the complex of radio and
communication towers atop Santiago Peak. Crews reported that flames in that
area had died down by mid-afternoon Wednesday.
The fire was burning near the scene of the 2018 Holy Fire that
scorched more than 23,000 acres and forced evacuations in multiple communities.
The cause of the Jim Fire was unknown but was under investigation.
Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.
City News Service UPDATE: 3am, March 3, 2022
LAKE ELSINORE (CNS) – Firefighters will be working through the night and today, monitoring and constructing containment lines in order to limit the damage of a rapidly-moving wildfire that broke out in the Cleveland National Forest near the Riverside-Orange County line that has consumed approximately 533 acres, according to a tweet from the Orange County Fire Authority.
The wildfire has not threatened any homes or other structures so far, fire authorities said.
The Jim Fire broke out at approximately 11:20 a.m. Wednesday on the Trabuco Ranger District in the Holy Jim Canyon area, according to an incident report from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. U.S. Forest Service firefighters responded with fire engines, hand crews, and air resources, assisted by the Orange County Fire Authority and Cal Fire resources.
The fire started in a drainage bottom and spread uphill, according to the coordinating group.
A Riverside County Fire Department strike team, consisting of about 30 personnel, was formed in South Corona, and the crew members were expected to either hike to the fire lines or be ferried there by helicopter, according to officials.
According to the fire department, the flames were visible from Riverside County.
Eight engine crews and two hand crews were initially deployed to the location, encountering flames in thick vegetation, according to the USFS.
Two Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters were called in to make runs on the fire, which was initially at 10 acres, but quickly expanded.
By about 3 p.m. Wednesday, crews at the scene put the acreage at more than 400, with the fire’s advance dramatically slowed by late afternoon.
As the flames roared uphill early in the firefight, additional resources were requested. By mid-afternoon, at least five air tankers were working to douse the flames, and as many as six helicopters, according to reports from the scene.
The blaze sent a thick plume of smoke into the air, visible across most of Orange and Riverside counties, and in northern San Diego County.
That prompted a flurry of 911 calls, many originating from Lake Elsinore and Corona. The Corona Fire Department posted statements on social media assuring residents that the vegetation fire is “not a threat to Corona.”
The OCFA posted similar messages, insisting the flames were not presenting a threat to Orange County.
While no structures were being threatened by the flames, the blaze was initially moving slowly toward the complex of radio/communication towers atop Santiago Peak. Crews on the scene reported that flames in that area had died down by mid-afternoon.
The fire was burning near the scene of the 2018 Holy Fire that scorched more than 23,000 acres and forced evacuations in multiple communities.
The Jim Fire is under investigation by the Forest Service Law Enforcement.
Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.
CNS-03-03-2022 03:09
Fire erupts in Cleveland National Forest, quickly grows in size
A wildfire that broke out on the Orange County Side of the Cleveland National Forest, quickly grew in size, Wednesday, March 2.
Initially reported shortly before noon, the no-injury brusher along Holy Jim Trail erupted at 11:20 a.m., growing from 10 to 400 acres with no containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Eight engine crews and two hand crews deployed to the blaze which is located halfway between Lake Elsinore and Trabuco Canyon. Upon their arrival they encountered flames in thick vegetation, according to the USFS.
As the flames roared uphill, additional resources were requested.
No evacuations have been ordered for the blaze which is burning near the scene of the 2018 Holy Fire that scorched more than 23,000 acres and forced evacuations in multiple Riverside County communities.
Two Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters were called in to make runs on the brusher, which is moving to the north, northeast, according to USFS
Federal firefighters were also receiving assistance from Orange County Fire Authority personnel. However, no Riverside County crews were immediately summoned to the area.
There was no immediate word on what might have triggered the blaze.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
