Three separate brush fires were reported near Ramona Expressway and Rider Street at 11:55 a.m. Tuesday, then merged into a single blaze that raced up a hillside south of Lake Perris. The fast-moving fire, dubbed the Pico Fire, prompted a major response from nearly 100 firefighters and the closure of a stretch of the expressway as crews worked to keep it from spreading further into the rural Riverside County community.
The fire was first reported at 11:55 a.m. near Ramona Expressway and Rider Street, according to The Desert Sun. Nuevo sits in a rural stretch east of Lake Perris and the city of Perris, and the newspaper reported that three separate fires burning south of the lake merged into one wildfire Tuesday afternoon. The outlet put the fire's size at about 100 acres across flat terrain and a hillside.
Other outlets offered smaller estimates for the same blaze. mynewsla.com reported that after an aerial assessment, the brush fire was determined to be 20 to 25 acres, while Patch reported the roadside blazes combined to form a roughly 25-acre fire.
Small Sparks Became a Fast-Moving Hillside Blaze
Patch reported that firefighters initially encountered three separate fires amounting to less than two acres combined before the flames spread up the hillside east of the expressway. mynewsla.com similarly reported that the separate fires merged within minutes and raced up the hill.
The cause of the fire was not settled across accounts. Patch reported that California Highway Patrol said the blaze was caused by sparks from a passing vehicle. Patch also reported that no homes or other structures were immediately threatened.
Firefighters Scramble While Road Closes Near Lake Perris
About 123 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, the Desert Sun reported, with Cal Fire deploying 16 engines, five hand crews and a helicopter. Additional engines had been requested as crews worked to keep the fire from advancing further up the hillside.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, the Desert Sun reported no evacuation orders or warnings had been issued. The city of Perris closed Ramona Expressway between Rider Street and Lakeview Drive as crews worked the scene, according to the same report.
A Pattern of Brush Fires Around Perris
Tuesday's fire follows a similar incident less than three weeks earlier. On Sept. 18, a brush fire that started from a burning vehicle southwest of Perris in the unincorporated community of Mead Valley grew to 30 acres before firefighters stopped its forward progress, according to NBC Los Angeles. That fire was reported at 7:51 p.m., and one person was transported with minor injuries, the station reported. By 10:31 p.m. that night, the fire had grown to 30 acres and was 10% contained, with ground crews and a night-flying helicopter among the resources that responded.
