Brush Fire Threatens Homes, Burns 800 Acres

A brush fire consumed more than 800 acres and briefly threatened houses Sunday in northern Riverside County, authorities said.

The blaze, which eventually moved eastward away from ranch-style homes it had threatened to engulf earlier in the day, was reported shortly after 1 p.m. along Reche Canyon Road north of Moreno Valley, said Joanne Evans of the Riverside office of the California Department of Forestry.

The fire then quickly spread to brush-covered hillsides and threatened homes, but firefighters managed to stop its progress, Evans said. No homes were lost and no one was injured, she said. Later in the day, the fire move eastward through unpopulated areas.

More than 280 firefighters tackled the blaze, including eight hand crews, which quickly set backfires to try to halt the advance of flames, Evans said.

Meanwhile, in San Bernardino County, a 75-acre brush fire that ignited near Cal State San Bernardino was under control by early evening, said Ann Luker of the U.S. Forest Service.