Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect in Riverside County as the Shore Fire continues to burn, consuming 2,600 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire. The brush fire ignited Monday shortly after 3 p.m.
near San Timoteo Canyon Road in the vicinity of Calimesa and expanded rapidly from less than 100 acres by 4 p.m. The Riverside County Fire Department reported that evacuation warnings were issued around 5 p.m., followed by evacuation orders about an hour later for areas with scattered residential and commercial properties along the fire's perimeter, bordered by San Timoteo Canyon Road and the Moreno Valley Freeway, due to the immediate threat to life.
A subsequent evacuation order was issued at 7:12 p.m. for the adjacent area between San Timoteo Canyon Road and the Moreno Valley Freeway.
The westbound lanes of Highway 60 at Interstate 10 were scheduled to close at 8:15 p.m. and were expected to remain shut for several hours, Cal Fire said.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire had grown to 2,600 acres and was about 25% contained. The blaze is in a sparsely populated area near Lake Shore Drive and San Timoteo Canyon Road.
Multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Hemet Fire Department, Palm Springs Fire Department, and Cal Fire-San Bernardino County were deployed to the north side of the rugged expanse between Interstate 10 to the north and the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway to the south. An evacuation center for people and pets is available at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, located at 13135 Nason Street.
Large animal intakes are available at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus in San Jacinto at 581 S. Grand Avenue.
Two Cal Fire water-dropping helicopters and five air tankers began operations on the fire by 4:20 p.m., and a Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT), typically a DC-10 or Boeing 767 carrying over 8,000 gallons of water, was requested Monday afternoon. As of 12:04 a.m., 41 engines, two water tenders, two helicopters, six dozers, six hand crews, and 255 personnel were assigned to the fire.
The terrain is difficult to navigate on foot. The cause of the fire is not immediately known.