Crime & Safety
See Map: Evacuations Ordered For Brush Fire Burning Near Murrieta
The blaze, dubbed the Volcano Fire, was reported just before 3 p.m. Tuesday.
MURRIETA, CA — Evacuations have been ordered for a brush fire burning Tuesday afternoon along the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, near the La Cresta community, just outside Murrieta city limits.
The 78-acre blaze (downgraded at 5 p.m. from 125 acres) has forced evacuations for some residents living on the plateau, while others are under an evacuation warning. The status on evacuations can be found at rivcoready.org/know-your-zone
As of 7:10 p.m., evacuations were still in place.
An evacuation shelter has been established at Chaparral High School, 27215 Nicolas Road, in Temecula. Pets are allowed.
A large animal evacuation shelter has been set up at the Murrieta Equestrian Center, 42646 Juniper Street.
The blaze dubbed the Volcano Fire was reported at 2:50 p.m. near Via Volcano and Tenaja Road, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa.
According to Cal Fire's incident page, 187 personnel are working the blaze as of 6:20 p.m. Additional air and ground resources were requested, Cline De La Rosa said.
Video below shows crews working on the fire. (Video provided by Jeff Jordan):
The firefight is a multi-agency effort. Assisting Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department are Pechanga Fire Department; Murrieta Fire Department; Corona Fire Department, Riverside County Emergency Management Department; the Riverside County Sheriff's Department; Cal Fire/San Diego County Fire Department; and U.S. Forest Service crews.
As of 7:10 p.m., there is zero containment on the fire. No injuries have been reported.
Several road closures are in place Tuesday night: Tenaja Road between Avocado Mesa and Avenida La Cresta, and Los Gatos at Carancho Road.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Dozens of fire trucks were seen driving up Clinton Keith Road enroute to the blaze shortly after it broke out.
Check back for updates.
