As of Saturday afternoon, officials said the fire had burned 28,307 acres, with containment increasing to 40 percent from 5 percent, which had not changed since Monday. Fire officials warned, however, that “much-needed rainfall,” combined with high winds and heat could lead to unpredictable fire behavior, so residents allowed to return to their homes were “highly encouraged to remain vigilant during duration of this dynamic incident. “ From 4 p.m. on Saturday, the area west of the U.S. Forest Service boundary, north of Wilson Valley Road and Reed Valley Road, east of Sage Road and south of Stanley Road no longer required mandatory evacuations as they became voluntary. The same applies to the area west of Sage Road, north of East Benton Road, east of De Portola Road, south of Cactus Valley Road, and Larking Lane. Evacuation warnings came in for the area south of Diamond Valley Lake, east of Washington Road, north of Borel Road, east of Rancho California Road, east of Anza Road, north of state Route 79, northwest of Highway 371 and west of state Route 74 , south of the U.S. Forest Service boundary to include the Ramona Indian Reservation and Olivet University, the Riverside County Fire Department announced Saturday. Earlier Saturday afternoon, the area east of State Street, south of Stetson Avenue, west of Fairview Avenue and north of Cactus Valley Road was reduced to an evacuation warning, the Riverside County Fire Department said. Gibble Road, Polly Butte Road, Avery Canyon Road and Arvidson Road were reduced to an evacuation warning at the same time. The onset of the storm prompted incident commanders to withdraw Cal Fire aircraft from the firefighting operation late Friday morning. The operation lasted about an hour and a half before Friday’s strong winds shut it down. Firefighters were concerned by rain and possible thunderstorms again on Saturday. Winds were expected to be slower at 20 to 30 mph, meteorologist Matt Mehle said. Friday’s winds gusted to 68 mph in the Idyllwild area, while lower elevation areas like Hemet remained at 30 to 40 mph. The National Weather Service had issued a flash flood and high wind warning for the region, with authorities saying up to 7 inches of rain could fall before the storms dissipate, raising the possibility of flash flooding, mudslides and debris flows. A flood watch warning is in effect until midnight Saturday. The bad weather was due to Tropical Storm Kay, off the southwest coast of the United States, which was a hurricane before hitting the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. Cal Fire officials said they hope to contain the fire by early next week, a goal that has appeared more achievable with the arrival of rain. The fire was first reported shortly after 2 a.m. Monday at Fairview Avenue and Bautista Street. Cal Fire created a unified command with the USFS on Wednesday, and the Riverside County Department of Emergency Management declared a local emergency, allowing the county to apply for federal and state assistance. The Board of Supervisors is set to formally approve the proclamation at its meeting on Tuesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency covering the fire earlier this week. Officials said the fire resulted in two civilian deaths and one civilian injury. Sheriff’s officials confirmed Wednesday that the two dead victims were found inside a vehicle in the 42400 block of Avery Canyon Road in East Hemet Monday, apparently overcome by flames while trying to flee. At least 13 buildings have been destroyed and four have been damaged. The causes of the fire are being investigated. In a document filed with the California Public Utilities Commission, Southern California Edison reported “circuit activity” in the area near the time the fire broke out. City News Service contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
