Firefighters contained a demolition fire in Riverside County Sunday night that had earlier prompted evacuations, officials said.
The Tenaja fire started at 11:48 a.m. near the Tenaja Truck Trail in the Cleveland National Forest, authorities said. It was stopped at 100 acres and was 25% contained.
“Firefighters will continue to work through the night, tomorrow and the next few days to mop up and put the rest of the containment line around it,” said Nathan Judy, Cleveland National Forest spokesperson.
The Tenaja Truck Trail will be closed to residents only while firefighters continue operations in the area, he said.
Evacuation order for the area near the truck trail was lifted, along with an evacuation warning for El Cariso Village. Ortega Highway, previously closed in both directions, was reopened at 6:45 p.m.
There was no information on the cause of the fire.
It’s been a busy year for fires in California, especially compared to the past two relatively mild seasons. It comes after two in a row wet winters stimulated the growth of grass and other vegetation, and a scorching hot summer dried out all the plant material.
As of Friday, 5,435 wildland fires had burned 830,461 acres, compared to a five-year average of 5,325 fires and 583,913 acres during the same period, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. One person has died, in the Mina fire near Covelo last month.
The state’s largest fire this year – and its fourth largest ever – is the park firewhich is now 78% contained after burning a 429,603-acre swath across Butte, Tehama, Shasta and Plumas counties. Firefighters were greatly assisted by recent rains that soaked the footprint, and no fire activity was seen as a result, officials said Saturday.
Damage inspectors were able to examine areas previously inaccessible and found that 709 structures were destroyed and 54 were damaged.
Authorities say The fire started when Ronnie Dean Stout II, 54, pushed a burning car into a ravine in Upper Bidwell Park in Chico on July 24. He has pleaded not guilty to a charge of arson in connection with the fire.