Over 2,400 acres burned in fast-moving Riverside County wildfire

Firefighters are battling ‘extremely steep and rugged’ terrain to contain the Highland Fire.

By James Bao

November 1, 2023

Published on Annenberg Media

A structure is engulfed in flames as a wildfire called the Highland Fire burns in Aguanga, Calif., Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. A wildfire fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land southeast of Los Angeles on Monday, forcing thousands of people from their homes, fire authorities said. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Thousands of Riverside County residents received mandatory evacuation orders after a wildfire exploded out of control, burning nearly 2,500 acres of land in Aguanga, California.

The Highland Fire broke out Monday afternoon near Highlands and Aguanga Ranchos roads. As of Wednesday morning, 2,487 acres were directly impacted with 15 percent containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“As of this morning, there were about 4,000 people that were under either an evacuation order or a warning,” Cal Fire Riverside County Fire Department Public Information Officer Jeff LaRusso told Annenberg Media.

Firefighters continued working through the night on Monday, dropping 4,200 gallons of water using helicopters “in an effort to slow the wind-driven fire,” according to Cal Fire’s X account. Their efforts saw success as the fire slowed down significantly by Tuesday morning, giving ground units an easier time.

Resources including over 1,200 personnels, 10 helicopters, 130 engines, 11 dozers and 13 water tenders have been assigned to containing the Highland Fire.

“The strategy right now is to continue going out throughout the entire fire area, and ensuring that the hot spots have been cooled down,” LaRusso said. “[We will] cut the ground down to the bare soil so we can have that separation of burned versus unburned fields, and that will continue until we have 100 percent containment.”

The Riverside County Department of Animal Services is offering evacuation assistance for animals to ensure the safety of residents’ pets. The San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus have received about 50 animals including sheep, chickens and turkeys as of Tuesday evening, according to a statement in Patch from RCDAS Deputy Public Information Officer Kerri Mabee.

A new animal shelter opened at Perris Fairgrounds for residents’ convenience.

“Our field services staff is there to receive animals displaced by the fire throughout the night, around the clock,” Mabee said in the statement.

On-the-ground fire fighting will continue as local officials aim to fully contain the fire by next Wednesday, Nov. 8.