Lake Elsinore Fire Injures 2, Burns Buildings

A swift-moving brush fire started Saturday by a lawn mower spark destroyed six buildings in a residential area of Lake Elsinore, forced evacuations and injured at least two people, one critically.

Winds blew soot as far west as the coast, where residents of San Clemente and Laguna Beach reported ashes sprinkled on their properties.

The 700-acre blaze raced into the Lakeland Village section, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, taking residents by surprise, said Joanne Evans, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry.

One firefighter and a civilian were injured. The civilian was in critical condition with burns, Evans said.

Though some Lake Elsinore residents were evacuated, they were allowed to return to their homes late Saturday.

The area is thick with brush that is very dry and access was difficult. Firefighters also had to deal with the wind. “The brush is so dry it just took off,” said Fire Department spokeswoman Cassandra Thompson. The fire began about 12:20 p.m. Thompson said firefighters hoped to contain the fire by midnight and extinguish it by 8 a.m.

Three hundred firefighters were battling the blaze. Eight air tankers and two helicopters were dropping water.

Meanwhile, firefighters in San Bernardino County were battling a 900-acre brush fire, said California Department of Forestry spokesman Bill Peters.

The fire was burning in an unincorporated area of Deer Creek.