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Firefighters battle 50-acre brush fire south of Beaumont

Highway 79 is down to one lane as fire crews mop up the 50 acre Extension Fire which closed Gilman Springs Road for a few hours in Moreno Valley.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A 50-acre brush fire broke out south of Beaumont on Monday amid a red-flag warning in the region, officials said.

Firefighters responded to reports of a fire near Lambs Canyon Road in Gilman Springs around 10:30 a.m., according to Cal Fire. The first crew to arrive reported a two-acre blaze, but the fire jumped to 50 acres within two hours, authorities said.

Approximately 214 firefighters were battling the Riverside County blaze as of noon, officials said. Highway 79 was closed from California Avenue in Beaumont to Gilman Springs Road late Monday morning due to fire, Caltrans said.

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The National Weather Service has issued a red-flag warning through Wednesday and an excessive-heat warning through Tuesday, saying high temperatures and Santa Ana winds will “bring the most dangerous fire weather conditions that Southwest California has seen in the past few years.”

“Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly,” the weather service said.

sarah.parvini@latimes.com

Twitter: @sarahparvini

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