Riverside County brush fire is 30% contained
Firefighters in Riverside County were battling a wind-whipped, 300-acre brush fire Wednesday night that briefly threatened a mobile home park, authorities said.
The blaze, burning in the Glen Avon area near Granite Hill Drive and Quartz Canyon Road off the 60 Freeway, was 30% contained Wednesday evening after it forced authorities to evacuate part of the Santiago Estates Mobile Home Park. Residents were allowed to return later in the day.
As the fire burned, Brian Bedwell fled with his dog, Archie. But the frightened pet got loose and ran away, according to authorities.
Bedwell ended up receiving good news when deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department found Archie, said John Welsh, spokesman for the county Department of Animal Services.
“The dog didn’t have to wait long for his owner to show up,” Welsh said, adding that Archie was implanted with a microchip containing Bedwell’s contact information.
In all, Welsh said, five dogs were evacuated from the fire.
The blaze was fanned by 15-mph winds as more than 250 firefighters aided by four air tankers and three water-dropping helicopters worked to beat back the flames, the Riverside County Fire Department said. It was burning through light, flashy fuels toward the San Bernardino County line.
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