Rosa fire burns 1,200 acres in Riverside County, prompting evacuation orders
- Share via
A vegetation fire ignited in the Santa Rosa Mountains in Riverside County on Monday afternoon, burning 1,200 acres by nightfall and prompting evacuation orders in nearby rural communities.
The blaze, dubbed the Rosa fire, was reported around 12:30 p.m. on Highway 74 east of the Santa Rosa Truck Trail in the mountains between Palm Desert and Anza, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Gifford fire straddling a rural stretch of the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county line continued to grow Monday, reaching 65,000 acres and 3% containment. Officials warn an upcoming heat wave will further challenge that firefight and bring widespread fire concerns.
Three hundred firefighting personnel were deployed to the incident, which was burning at a moderate rate of spread and was 0% contained Monday night.
Evacuation orders were issued for households in and near the communities of Ribbonwood, Pinyon Pines and Alpine Village, while evacuation warnings were issued in Pinyon Crest. A map of affected areas can be seen here.
Care and reception centers were established at the Anza Community Center and the Palm Desert Community Center, while animal evacuation centers were opened at the San Jacinto Animal Shelter and Coachella Valley Animal Campus.
Forty-nine engines, five dozers, four water tenders and two helicopters were assigned to combat the blaze, according to Cal Fire.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued an air quality advisory for the Coachella Valley and parts of the Santa Clarita Valley as a result of smoke from the Rosa fire as well as the 72,460-acre Gifford fire in the Los Padres National Forest and the 348-acre Gold fire in the San Bernardino National Forest. Residents are advised to avoid or limit outdoor activity.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
This episode examines what we know about what happened between the Lachman Fire and the Palisades Fire, and the missteps and miscommunication that may have led to one of California’s most destructive fires in history.
Marvin Margolis was a promising early suspect in the Black Dahlia murder, but he managed to slip through the cracks. So who was this man of many pseudonyms?
In this specially released bonus episode, Madison McGhee and Jami Rice share some extremely opinionated opinions about everything from the Menendez Brothers to Jax Taylor.
